The inochi WAKAZO Forum 2023 was held on December 3rd, 2024 at Nakanoshima Festival Tower West in Osaka.

The forum was composed of two sessions. In the first session, “i-GIP Contents”, the winning teams from the  four regions (Kansai, Kanto, Hokuriku, and Kyushu) of the inochi Gakusei Innovators’ Program (i-GIP), now in its ninth year, made their final presentations. This year, junior high and high school students worked on solving problems of people who suffer from sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) and they gave presentations of their ideas. The winning team was LUCE, a team of first and second-year high school students from Yachiyo Shoin High School in the Kanto region, who focused on hair problems caused by CPAP and worked to develop a CPAP belt that would prevent hair from tangling. The other presentations were also of a very high level, with a variety of ideas thought through over a five-month period by young people from all over Japan.

In the second session, “WAKAZO Contents”, we invited prominent figures for a panel discussion on what is necessary to create a society where the people in it can protect each other’s lives. Participants of the forum also had the chance to think deeply about life and death through the LAST WORDS project. There were very interesting discussions with opinions from various perspectives about the future of healthcare, and it certainly created an opportunity to make a difference in Japan and the world.

This year, we also exhibited this year’s excellent ideas and WAKAZO’s LAST WORDS project at the entrance of the venue. It was a very lively event, with participants visiting the exhibits themselves and conversing with the junior high and high school students whose work was exhibited.

The entire forum was a very meaningful event that ignited a movement within the youth to move the world and shape the future.

The video has been played nearly 2,500 times so far!

We are also streaming the archive of the day’s events, so make sure to take a look.