Empowering Japan's Future Leaders
One Junior World
Global Leadership Camp
2026
～ Local Culture Sustainability In A Shrinking Society ～
March 23 ~ 27, 2026
One Junior World (One Young World Japan’s national Under 18 program) will hold its 2026 Global Leadership Camp at Akita International University (AIU) in March 2026. This year’s theme will be “Regional Revitalization x Leadership.”
During the 5-day program, junior and senior high school students from across Japan will develop potential solutions to challenges they have set for themselves. On the final day, they will have the opportunity to present their ideas in front of their peers in English.
The camp will approach issues from a “glocal” perspective, based on the motto, “think globally, act locally.” Students will also learn about leadership through project planning with peers from across the country.
The camp will also include:
- lectures by expert AIU faculty
- interactions with entrepreneurs who are tackling current issues on-the-ground in real time
and - workshops on English presentation skills and project-based thinking
The venue, Akita International University (AIU), is a multicultural campus where 25% of the students are international students and more than 50% of the faculty are foreign professionals. The university prides itself with an openness to the world that is unparalleled in Japan, with more than 200 partner universities around the world. The 5 days spent here will surely expand your participants’ visions of the future.
Program Features
The program leverages the power of the One Young World community (the world’s largest community of next-gen leaders) and the educational powerhouse that is Akita International University.
To gain a deeper understanding of the current state of local cultural preservation, participants will visit Nekko Village, a village of approximately 110 people, home to Nekko Bangaku, a nationally designated Important Intangible Cultural Property and the birthplace of Matagi Matagi, to learn about the current situation, challenges, and potential actions.
Participants will have the opportunity to hear from experts with experience in topics of discussion and entrepreneurs who are taking real action.
One Young World is a community of next-gen leaders. Its annual global summit brings together approximately 2,000 people from over 190 countries to share actions on global issues. Ambassadors who participated in the summit as part of the Japanese delegation will also be participating in this camp.
This program cultivates leadership skills by interacting with social entrepreneurs and other leaders who are taking action for society, and by working on projects with like-minded peers.
Participants will receive mentoring from One Young World Japan’s ambassadors and university students aspiring to become global leaders, learning how to proceed with projects and teamwork.
Many of the social issues facing us today are not just domestic, but global. Participants will learn how to express their ideas in English in a way that resonates with the world.
The 4 years students spend at college are crucial for their personal and professional lives. By experiencing a 5-day simulated campus life, you can visualize your future at a university in ways that aren’t possible during an open campus event.
Key Data
- Participants:
Junior and High School Students
(Ages: 15~18; participants must be able to attend all sessions.) - Dates:
Monday, March 23 ~ Friday, March 27, 2026 - Accommodations:
Hotel Plaza Crypton - Min/Max Students: 20/42
- Languages: English, Japanese
- Recommended English Level:
EIKEN Level 2 or higher - Fee:
JPY 132,000 (includes room, meals, and 10% consumption tax) - # of scholarships: 8 half-price scholarships
Program Overview
- Meet at AIU (13:00)
- Orientation
- University Introduction
- Campus Tour
- Welcome Dinner
- Professor Keynote
Mr. Shogo Kudo, AIU Associate Professor - Move to Nekko
- Fieldwork
Mr. Taiga Kato, AIU Graduate - Dinner in Nekko
- Move to hotel
- Guest Talk
Mr. Yoichi Narita, Director - Group Work
- Presentations Workshop
Mr. Yuichi Tagane, AIU Assistant Professor
- Group Work
- Presentations Rehearsal
- Presentations Competition
- Closing Ceremony
- Program Conclusion (14:00)
Speakers & Mentors
Yoichi Narita
Originally from Akita Prefecture, he graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Hosei University. After working at Image Science Inc. and Toyo Cinema Inc., he went freelance in 1995.
In 2021, the film “Chasing the Light,” set in his hometown of Akita, was released. It was officially invited to international film festivals in Canada, the Czech Republic, and Germany. In 2023, the film “If I Could Meet You Again, on the Hill Where the Flowers Bloom” was released. He won eight awards at the 47th Japan Academy Prize, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.
Taiga Kato
Kawasoi
Originally from Aichi Prefecture, he graduated from Akita International University. While working as an editor in the fields of business support, product development, and urban development, he also plans projects related to reading, listening, and writing, based at Kawasoi, a bookstore in Yuwa, Akita City.
Dr. Shogo Kudo
AIU
Associate Professor of Global Studies, College of International Studies, Akita International University.
Ph.D. in Sustainability Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo.
He is a Visiting Scholar at the Asian Centre, University of Pretoria, South Africa.Specializes in sustainability studies, development studies, and urban planning in a society with declining population. While traveling back and forth between Akita and rural South Africa, he has been working on the development of a methodology for community development called “Translocal Learning,” which is born out of encounters between entities from different climates.
Yuichi Tagane
AIU
Born in Iwate. He is a graduate of Akita International University’s Graduate School of English Language Teaching (ELT) and currently teaches courses such as Academic Writing and TOEFL Preparation Course in the university’s intensive English program.
His areas of expertise are foreign language teaching methods with an emphasis on academic English education, and his teaching and research focus on academic writing and research skill development.
Nanako Miyauchi
Iris, Inc.
Born in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture, she holds a J.S.A. Sake Diploma, WSET SAKE Level 3, and is an SSI International Sake Instructor.
Studied environmental tolerance mechanisms in rice plants at the University of Tokyo and the University of Tokyo Graduate School. She fell in love with sake during her college years and was Miss Sake Ibaraki Representative in 2018. After working at Goldman Sachs, she founded Iris Inc. in July 2022 to contribute to the increase of Japanese sake consumption through regional tours.
Taichi Ichikawa
World Road, Inc.
Born and raised in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. During university, he participated in One Young World, so-called Young Davos Forum, which is attended by over 190 countries’ youth change makers. After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University, joined Japan’s leading entertainment company Amuse Inc. In the department directly under the chairman in charge of new business, he was in charge of establishing an inbound team.
In 2019, he established World Road to create education and opportunities to open up a ‘Road’ to the ‘World’ for people, utilizing a network of more than 196 countries to provide education and corporate training programmes on global leadership, sustainability and career themes, as well as PR and organizational consultancy in the public, private and academic sectors.
Kiyoka Tokumasu
Kiyoka has lived, studied and worked in the United States, Japan, and Sweden. These diverse experiences have shaped her perspectives and inspired her passion for driving positive change through education and global citizenship. Currently, she leads the education programs at the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan, partnering with academic institutions to provide students with opportunities to explore international business and cross-cultural understanding. She collaborates with companies, government agencies, and industry leaders to contribute to advancing the international business ecosystem in Japan.
A 2023 graduate of International Christian University, Kiyoka is a One Young World Ambassador, Associate Leader for the US-Japan Council, and World Economic Forum Global Shaper.
Testimonials
Past Participating Schools
Gyosei high school, Kanto international high school, Kanagawa sohgoh high school, Kumamoto Daiichi high school, Meijo univerisity high school, Hiroshima Nagisa high school, Shibaura institute of technology kashiwa high school, Ritsumeikan Uji high school, Waseda saga high school, Seiryo high school, Mita international high school, Kurashiki Amagi high school, Sophia Fukuoka high school, Shibuya high school, Fukuoka Futaba high school, Meikei high school, Sapporo Asahigaoka high school, Nagasaki higashi high school, Kyoritsu girls high school, Tokyo city university high school, Crimson Global Academy, John Knox Christian School, International Christian University high school, Otsuma high school, Yoyogi high school, Kaetsu Ariake high school, Kadokawa S high school, Futaba high school, Otani high school, Hamamatsu kita high school, Miyagi Daiichi high school, Okinawa Christian School, Okinawa Shogaku high school, Kyuyo high school, Naha high school, Kumejima high school, Ishikawa high school, Naha nishi high school, Ritsumeikan Moriyama high school, Chigusa high school
*no particular order
Past Camps
- Global Leadership Camp 2023 @ OIST
- Highlights Video
https://youtu.be/UeyRgOmqAnQ - Camp Report
- Highlights Video
- Global Leadership Camp 2024 @ APU
- Global Leadership Camp 2025 @ AIU
Application Process
- First Round
(Document Screening)
Application Period: Dec 8 – 26, 2025
Announcement of First Round Successful Applicants: Jan 8, 2026 - Second Round
(Video Screening)
Submission Period: Jan 9 – 16, 2026
Announcement of Successful Applicants: Jan 26, 2026
