Ken Ishizaka
Biography
Ken Ishizaka
Born: April 4th, 2000（23）
From: Kanagawa Prefecture
Senior at the Faculty of Law, Department of Law, Hitotsubashi University
My lifelong journey has let me explore parts not only outside of my home country Japan, but also within it, where they hold different characteristics. Through my experiences in interacting with people from different and diverse backgrounds, I was privileged to immerse myself in countless projects. These projects were common to each other in the sense that I was able to reckon a variety of ‘voices’ that exist in our society.
When I establish projects aimed at solving social issues; namely, ‘social change projects’, I would always ask myself three questions:
To what extent and how precise do I imagine the beneficiaries of the project?
Whose interests does the project represent?
Are means deployed to carry out the project suitable to the mission of the project?
Asking these questions gradually became my daily practice as I was lucky to compile little success backed up by mostly failure -all of which are always supported by my friends and family who represent diverging backgrounds and perspectives.
About Me
これまでの自分の生活において最も特徴的な点の一つは、国内外に限らず、国内単体においても特徴の異なる環境に身を置いてきたことです。単体のコミュニティに限定されずに、バックグラウンドの全く異なる人々と幸運にも時間をともにさせてもらう経験を通して、自分達が生活をしている社会に存在する人々の「声」の種類や多さに気づかせてもらう機会に多く携わらせていただきました。
僕は社会課題を解決するプロジェクトを立ち上げる際に「プロジェクトが対象とする社会に存在する人々をどれくらい細かく想像できているか」「プロジェクトそのものが代表する利益は誰のためのものか」「プロジェクトを実施する道筋はその目的に適ったやり方か」という点を重視しています。これらの点を重視するようになったのは、出身や年齢、国籍や文化の大きく異なる無数の社会に自分が身を置いてきた経験と、プロジェクトの企画・立ち上げ・実行におけるわずかばかりの成功と、ほとんどの失敗が礎をなしています。
Education
2000
Born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Born and raised in Kawasaki, until I moved to Singapore. Graduated from a local public elementary school.
Apr. 2013
Entered Miyazaki Jr. high
Studied for a year. Decided to leave the school to seek a better environment suitable for higher level studying.
Apr. 2014
Entered Toin Secondary Education School (middle and high school)
Spent two years and a half from grade 8 to grade 10 at a boys’ private school. Belonged to the table tennis club and the model United Nations club. Exchanged to Wellington, New Zealand for 3 weeks in 2015. Left the school to transfer to Singapore.
Sep. 2016
Entered GEMS World Academy
Spent the first 9 months at GEMS, toward the end of grade 10. Left the school to delve into a more academically competitive environment.
Aug. 2017
Entered United World College of South East Asia, Dover Campus
Transferred to the 4th school in middle/high school after taking the entrance exam. Established an internship project with the municipal government of Odate, Akita in Japan. Involved myself in multiple volunteering projects, areas ranging from education to regional revitalization.
May. 2019
Graduated from UWCSEA
Obtained Bilingual Diploma (Japanese/English)
Apr. 2020
Entered Hitotsubashi University (BA Laws, International Relations Course)
Member of Akiyama Seminar, majoring in international relations. Writing academic thesis on peacebuilding, centering around Timor-Leste. Expected to graduate in March 2024.
Interest
Here I share with you what I broadly enjoy.
Experience
Notable Experience
2017-2018
Secretariat, Odate municipal government (Internship)
In the context of my internship experiences, I was primarily involved with the Tourism Division of the City Office, along with the Education Division and the Town Planning Division. In the Tourism Division, I engaged in developing and presenting strategies to increase inbound tourism from Asia. My work with the Education Division involved inspecting local elementary, middle, and high schools, while in the Town Planning Division, I learned about the essential perspectives needed for urban development in regional cities. Having lived only in urban areas in Japan and Singapore, these experiences were pivotal in turning my attention towards social issues within Japan and the diversity of people’s lifestyles.
Building upon these experiences, in 2018 and 2019, I had the opportunity to support, albeit modestly, the efforts of Odate City in expanding its presence in Asia.
2017.8 - 2019.3
NPO/NGO (Volunteer)
During my studies at UWC, I volunteered for a year with an NPO in Singapore’s Bukit Merah area that provides childcare facilities. In addition to volunteering weekly at the childcare center, I also had numerous opportunities to visit the homes of the children under the facility’s care.
Throughout my volunteer period, I collaborated with classmates from UWC to plan a volunteering stint with an NGO in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, to learn how similar initiatives were being implemented in other countries. At the NGO, I learned about the types of support provided to protected children and gained insights into the mindset needed for direct engagement with these children.
2019.8 - 2019.12
Business Creator, Dept. of New Business Development, Recruit.Co., (Internship)
As an external member, I participated in the launch of a new venture at Recruit Co., the largest HR company in Japan, where I was the youngest intern in the company’s history. Over a three-month period, I was involved in planning and development, culminating in the release of a workshop at the end of the year, which was one of the projects I had worked on.
2020.8 - 2021.1
Founder/Chair, WEIN STUDENTS SUMMIT・WEIN STUDENTS
In the summer of 2020, when student opportunities were severely limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I founded and became the president of WEIN STUDENTS, a student organization aimed at facilitating interaction among students and reconnecting them with society. Within approximately three months, the organization established over 100 university branches and grew into one of Japan’s largest student organizations, with more than 1,250 members. In October of the same year, we held the “WEIN STUDENTS SUMMIT,” which attracted over 10,000 participants, making it the largest student conference in Japan’s history at that time. The event featured talk sessions by speakers representing various sectors and a pitch contest organized by students. Additionally, in the lead-up to the event, we conducted an online open campus for high school students titled “WEIN OPEN CAMPUS.” This initiative aimed to provide students, whose career choices were limited by the pandemic, with live information from multiple universities, capitalizing on the benefits of the online format. Personally, I was involved in launching these initiatives with my team, handling tasks ranging from overall personnel management, formulating financial strategies, developing public relations policies, and moderating pre-event activities and talk sessions during the event.
2021-Present
Senior Associate, Sportsnation.Co. (Freelance)
I worked for a consulting company associated with the V2 professional volleyball league team, Safilva Hokkaido (now known as Hokkaido Yellow Stars). My responsibilities encompassed a wide range of tasks including implementing crowdfunding campaigns, developing collaborations with new professional sports teams, managing social media operations, and handling various administrative duties.
2023.1 - 2023.6
Ambassador’s Youth Council Term4
I participated in a study program organized by the U.S. Embassy in Japan. Over a six-month period, I, along with nine other university students, engaged in discussions with American diplomats about policy issues between Japan and the United States, ranging widely from environmental to security concerns.
2022.9 - Present
Founder/Chair, Social Science Boot Camp
In response to the low representation of students from regional areas on our university campus and to convey the excitement of social sciences to high school students, I planned and executed a camp-style program where participants could attend lectures by professors specializing in international relations. With the help of university professors, alumni, and the dedication of the organizing team, we received approximately 100 applications from all over the country. To eliminate financial barriers, which could be a major obstacle for participation, we organized a crowdfunding campaign. This effort successfully raised about 2.5 million yen, allowing us to cover the accommodation, transportation, and food expenses for all participants from regional areas.