Closing the Experience Gap: How Japan’s Startups Are Fighting Child Poverty
誰一人取り残さない社会を目指して ～子どもの体験格差解消プロジェクトとトヨタ自動車との共創～
Japan is one of the world’s wealthiest countries—yet child poverty still hides in plain sight. It’s a strange contradiction: a society built on stability, where some kids quietly miss out on the opportunities others take for granted. If you’re an adult with any sense of ethics, that gap hits you with a kind of emotional static. Something just feels… off.
But here’s where the story shifts.
A wave of Japanese startups is stepping in with a different mindset: not just providing financial support, but closing the “experience gap.” Because childhood isn’t only about survival—it’s about access, exploration, and the chance to discover what kind of person you could become.
These ventures are creating programs that give kids hands-on classes, outdoor adventures, creative workshops, and real-world exposure they wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s bold, it’s hopeful, and honestly, it’s the kind of energy the future needs.
Japan may be facing a tough social challenge, but its innovators are proving something important: poverty isn’t just an economic issue—it’s a creativity issue. And creativity is exactly what Japan has in abundance.
