【Jiyuken Co., Ltd.】 Make your future bright with “independent research.” “Jiyuken Co., Ltd.” Official Website Launched
Jiyuuken Co., Ltd. Press release: September 12, 2025 To Members of the Press Look forward to the future with “independent research.” Jiyukuken Inc. Official Website Launched Try lots of things, not just master them. We aim to foster a culture where everyone can enjoy exploration and creation, driven by pure curiosity. Jiyuken Co., Ltd. was founded by members who are concerned with the environment and education surrounding children. The official website was launched on September 12, 2025. This website widely disseminates information about our philosophy and activities, as well as the progress of the “independent research” projects undertaken by our members. Jiyuken official website: https://jiyu-lab.net
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/164299/1/164299-1-eb9776a79d9e282eb07ca3d209b15fbf-1200×630.png The Jiyuken logo and Jiyuken mascot “The Free Two” ■About Jiyuken Co., Ltd. – Make your future bright with “independent research.” Jiyuken was founded by members who work to shape the future of children. The impetus for the company’s founding came from the desires and awareness of issues each member felt in their daily activities: “I want to make the education children receive more enjoyable,” “I want to give shape to ideas that I truly want to offer children,” and “I want adults to be able to try more of what they want to do.” Jiyuken Co., Ltd.’s mission is “To create a brighter future through independent research,” and the company works to enrich children’s futures. At its heart is “independent research,” where adults can enjoy exploring things based on pure curiosity, such as “interests” or “mysteries,” just like they did as children. By showing us how we take on challenges and spreading the joy of doing so, we aim to spread a culture throughout society where everyone, from children to adults, can enjoy exploring in a positive way. At Jiyuken, we believe that a culture of “enjoying exploration” will improve the future of our children. Jiyuken is a platform that turns such “independent research” into a rich and fulfilling activity. ■ Jiyuken’s “Free Research” – Trying out a lot, not just mastering it At Jiyuken, we refer to any exploration or experiment that stems from the pure curiosity of our members, such as their own interests, curiosity, or desire to try something, as “free research.” From small, spontaneous ideas to big challenges that may one day change society, everything is considered “free research” for us. Rather than waiting for the perfect plan, we value the process of “getting started.” Through repeated trial and error, we discover new questions and value, which then lead to the next exploration. This virtuous cycle is the driving force behind our activities. Through this “independent research” activity, we aim to spread a culture throughout society in which everyone, from children to adults, can enjoy positive exploration and creation. The results of our activities will be shared with society, sometimes in the form of small
discoveries, and sometimes in the form of products or businesses that are implemented in society. ■About the Founding Members of Jiyuken Jiyuken was founded with the desire to “not only respond to the challenges we are given, but also to tackle the questions and challenges we ourselves think about, turn our ideas into reality, and deliver them to society.” Based on this philosophy, we have gathered a diverse group of members active in various fields. The members are Uratani, CEO of BUTTON Inc., which specializes in producing content for children, and Kidomi, art director at the same company; Matsuyama (CEO of siro Inc.), who works on a variety of product developments, primarily focusing on technology; Toda (CEO of unouplus Inc.), who develops educational content for children, including smartphone apps; Kawamura (CEO of COLEYO Inc.), who develops educational businesses using project-based learning; and Izawa, Jiyuken’s first employee, who was responsible for launching the company. A total of six people launched the project. ■Example of Independent Research Project First, each member will work on the independent research project shown below. We also introduce many other unique independent research projects, so please visit our website. I believe that by taking extracurricular activities seriously, children can gain a deeper understanding of what it means to acquire skills. However, it seems that there are not many parents who send their children off to extracurricular activities with this kind of enthusiasm. Children themselves also do not fully understand that extracurricular activities are one way to carve out their own paths in life. To change this situation, we are trying to introduce AI. We will develop a device that allows children to interact with AI and conduct experiments to verify how this increases motivation for extracurricular activities.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/164299/1/164299-1-36fe9b3c0efcddbdd607e628153b2048-1200×627.png In recent years, playground equipment has been disappearing from parks one after another. In addition, residents living near parks have increasingly voiced concerns such as, “Please stop playing ball games” and “Please play quietly.” Due to these circumstances, fewer children are visiting parks, and the spaces themselves appear to be falling into disuse. On the other hand, in today’s parks, where there are many restrictions, children are increasingly bringing portable game consoles like the Nintendo Switch and playing face-to-face in the park. As children’s play and behavior change, what value can parks provide in the future? Using this question as a starting point, we will conduct research to explore new possibilities for parks. In addition to proposing modern ways to utilize parks, we also plan to create products that bring meaning to playing in parks.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/164299/1/164299-1-28392f2d54a0ee7172dd6c57d7cc224b-1536×1024.jpg At Studio Ao, home base of Jiyuken member Kawamura, several students each year express their desire to build a car. Kawamura hopes to open-source the car-building process and increase the number of children participating in this project. While car building presents a significant challenge in terms of “how,” if successful, the process could easily be applied to other projects. Kawamura’s ultimate goal is to publish the blueprints, rent out Suzuka Circuit, and hold a children’s racing event.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/164299/1/164299-1-4fe21a60424b17754f80ad27545bdcec-1440×810.jpg ■Future Outlook Jiyuken will first begin with each member practicing their own independent research and presenting their findings. In the future, we aim to increase our network of partners, including companies, local governments, and creators who share our philosophy, and to form a community where we can build the future together. We are also planning to hold presentation events and open a community space on Discord. In addition to posting on our official website, we will also share our activities and our members’ thoughts through our note “Jiyuken Magazine” and podcasts. We are always looking for people who are interested in our activities, who want to do independent research with us, and who want to support us. Please feel free to contact us. 【Official Website Information】 Release Date: September 12, 2025 Official website URL: https://jiyu-lab.net 【Main Contents】 • About Jiyuken: Learn about Jiyuken’s philosophy and ideas. • Free Research at the Free Research Lab: Members will report on the overview and progress of various “free research” projects. • Announcements: We will provide you with the latest activities, including event information and media coverage. • Magazine: “A magazine that encourages
experimentation rather than mastery” • Podcast: “Jiyuken no Kimenai Radio” [Managing company information] Company name: Jiyuuken Co., Ltd. Address: 540-0012 4-3-7 Tanimachi, Chuo-ku, Osaka Representative: Kazuo Uratani Established: 2024 Business details: • Promoting “independent research” projects that start with a sense of problem awareness and a desire to explore. • Community planning and management • Information dissemination and product development related to the above For more information about this release