Willway

What Willway does

Willway Co., Ltd. (株式会社ウィルウェイ) is a privately held Japanese education services company founded in 1973 and headquartered in Osaka, operating the Mabuchi Education Group (馬渕教育グループ). The company runs five core programs spanning the full K-12 to university-entry pipeline: Mabuchi Kids Club for early childhood (ages 3-7); Mabuchi Classroom junior-high entrance exam courses targeting elite private schools (Nada, Todaiji Gakuen, Nisshin, Rakusei, Tokai); Mabuchi Classroom high-school entrance exam courses targeting top public and private schools across five prefectures; Mabuchi Individual for one-on-one tutoring; and the Toshin Satellite Prep School franchise for university entrance preparation. The group operates 310+ directly-managed school locations across the Kansai region (Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga) and the Tokai area (Aichi), served by 850 group employees and enrolling 55,000+ students, generating ¥26.05 billion in group sales for the fiscal year ending March 2025.

The technology stack is conventional education-services infrastructure rather than technology-led: proprietary in-house curriculum materials, self-developed mock exams (notably the Nada public exam used as a high-precision assessment tool), Web-based prep videos, and ICT-delivered content integrated into classroom instruction. The company runs the in-house Nada Premium special course for elite-track students and operates the Mabuchi Highest Level Selection program near Kyoto Station. Safety and parent communication are delivered through the Comiru email notification system for student entry/exit tracking, complemented by physical security measures including electronic locks, surveillance cameras, school buses, and coordination with local police and security consultants.

Willway earns revenue through monthly tuition subscriptions across its five brands, with no disclosed enterprise or B2B revenue. GTM is hybrid: a proprietary recruitment website (job.willway.ne.jp) plus recruiting ads on Recruit/Mid/Wantedly for talent acquisition, and a field-sales model with 300+ physical school locations serving as the primary customer acquisition and retention channel for families. The company has expanded through both organic school openings and two strategic business integrations (Inada-juku in 2012, Wakamatsu-juku in 2022), and was recognized in the 2025 e-AR customer satisfaction survey with the national top award in the elementary segment and a national #1 ranking in the middle-school "schools where grades rise" category.

Name

Willway

Legal name

株式会社ウィルウェイ

Website

https://willway.ne.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Willway Co., Ltd. is a privately held Osaka-based Japanese education company operating the Mabuchi Education Group, running 310+ cram school locations across the Kansai and Tokai regions under five brands - early childhood, junior-high, high-school, and university entrance exam prep plus individual tutoring - serving 55,000+ students and generating ¥26.05 billion in FY2025 revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cram School / Test Preparation Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Other Schools and Instruction (6116)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Test Prep & Exam Readiness (K–12) (EDAJALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Test Prep Learning Centers (SAT/ACT, AP/IB, State Exams) (EDANAHAH)

Keywords

• Cram school operations
• Entrance exam preparation
• Private tutoring services
• After-school education
• Test preparation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. 学習塾 Tuition Services: 幼児教育から大学受験まで対象とする学習塾の運営による授業料収入。中学受験・高校受験・大学受験（東進衛星予備校フランチャイズ）・幼児教育（まぶちキッズクラブ）・個別학습（馬渕個別）の5部門で展開。教室数310校以上、生徒数5.5万人以上の規模で収益を上げる。
2. 教材・公開テスト等の開発販売: 独自開発の教材・テキスト、公開テスト（馬渕公開テスト）等の開発・印刷・頒布による収入。教材開発力は教育品質向上の核であり、合格実績を支える基盤の一つ。

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Willway Co., Ltd. (株式会社ウィルウェイ) operates the Mabuchi Education Group (馬渕教育グループ), managing private cramming schools (学習塾) and English conversation schools in Japan. The company delivers five integrated exam-preparation programs across the educational lifecycle: early-childhood education (Mabuchi Kids Club, ages 3–7), junior-high entrance exam prep (Nada, Todaiji Gakuen, Nishiyamato, Rakusei, Tokai targets), high-school entrance exam prep (top public and elite private high schools across Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga), individualized tutoring, and university-entrance prep via the Tosin Satellite Prep School franchise. The group runs 310+ school locations, serves more than 55,000 students, and combines in-person classroom instruction with proprietary preview videos, web-based content, and internally developed mock examinations.

Product overview

Willway (株式会社ウィルウェイ) operates a comprehensive multi-brand educational services platform under the Mabuchi Education Group umbrella, offering five interconnected core programs: ① まぶちキッズクラブ for early childhood education (ages 3-7), ② 馬渕教室 中学受験コース for junior high entrance exam preparation (grades 2-6), ③ 馬渕教室 高校受験コース for high school entrance exam preparation (elementary grade 2 through middle school grade 3), ④ 馬渕個別 for individual tutoring (grades 1-12), and ⑤ 馬渕教育グループ 東進衛星予備校 for university exam preparation. Supplementary offerings include epion/Super epion self-study programs and 馬渕大学受験館 dedicated university prep centers. The portfolio spans from early childhood through university entrance exam preparation, serving the Kansai (2府3県) and Tokai regions with 310+ school locations. The company holds the top market position in Kansai for both scale (260.5 billion yen in sales, 55,000+ students) and customer satisfaction (No.1 in elementary student category per 2025 e-AR award).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 馬渕教室 中学受験コース: 小学1年生〜6年生対象の難関私立中学合格を目指す受験指導部門。灘中、東大寺学園中、西大和学園中、洛星中、東海中などの合格指導を行う。
• 馬渕教室 高校受験コース
• 馬渕個別
• まぶちキッズクラブ
• 東進衛星予備校（馬渕教室・若松塾）

Products and services

• まぶちキッズクラブ (Mabuchi Kids Club) Early childhood education program for children from nursery age through first grade (ages 3–7), forming four core competencies during the single-age critical period. Develops independent thinking habits and lays the foundation for advanced academic ability, serving as a feeder into the Mabuchi Classroom Junior High Exam Course.
• 馬渕教室 中学受験コース (Mabuchi Classroom Junior High School Entrance Exam Course) Junior high school entrance exam preparation course for elementary students in grades 2 through 6 (ages 7–12), targeting elite private schools including Nada Middle School, Todaiji Gakuen, Nisshin Gakuen, Rakusei, and Tokai. Includes the elite-tier 灘PREMIUM特訓 special course that consolidates the top students from all Mabuchi Classroom branches.
• 馬渕教室 高校受験コース (Mabuchi Classroom High School Entrance Exam Course) High school entrance exam preparation course for students from elementary grade 2 through middle school grade 3, targeting top public high schools across Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, and Shiga prefectures as well as elite private high schools such as Nada, Rakunan, and Nishiyamato Gakuen. Companion offerings include the Mabuchi Mock Public Test and proprietary web-based preview-video learning content.
• 馬渕個別 (Mabuchi Individual) Fully individualized tutoring program for students from first-grade elementary through high-school grade 3 (ages 6–18), offering one-on-one customized curricula to improve school performance and prepare for junior-high, high-school, or university entrance exams.
• 馬渕教育グループ 東進衛星予備校 (Mabuchi Education Group Tosin Satellite Prep School) University entrance exam preparation program operated as a franchise of Tosin Satellite Prep School, with the largest Kansai-region footprint among franchisees. Mabuchi Classroom and Wakamatsu-juku staff deliver in-person guidance on top of the Tosin video-instruction network (national Tosin network exceeds 1,000 sites). Serves middle-1 through high-3 students.
• epion / Super epion (self-directed study program) Self-directed learning program using the proprietary epion system, with the Super epion variant serving as the advanced version at select locations. Students progress through customized materials at their own pace; offerings include 自立学習RED.
• 馬渕最高レベル選抜 (Mabuchi Highest Level Selection) Elite track program for top-performing students at specialized locations such as the Kyoto Station Front branch, offering accelerated and advanced curriculum for high-achieving pupils.
• 馬渕大学受験館 (Mabuchi University Exam Hall) Dedicated university entrance exam preparation centers (e.g., Kyobashi branch), offering focused, location-based programs for university-bound students separately from the Tosin Satellite Prep School channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 灘中合格 77名（2年連続75名突破）、東大寺学園中合格 104名（2年ぶり100名突破）、西大和学園中合格 137名（14年ぶり100名突破）、灘高合格 全国No.1（24名）
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• 株式会社聖文館（若松塾）minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20222022年に株式会社聖文館（若松塾）と経営統合。若松塾ブランドの大学受験指導力を马渕教育グループに統合した。
• 株式会社イナダ（イナダ塾）minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20122012年に株式会社イナダ（イナダ塾・16校）と経営統合。近畿圈での校舎展開の基盤を拡大した。
• 船井総合研究所minorGTM or Marketing Partner船井総合研究所とタッグを組み、学生の就職活動を支援するプロジェクトを実施。採用活动支援セミナー・企业研究セミナ一等を通じて、学生の就職活動を全面的にサポートする共同Marketing活动を展開。

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Waseda Academy (早稲田アカデミー): One of Japan's largest nationwide cram school chains, with strong Tokyo and Kansai presence and similar elite-track positioning (targeting Nada, Tokyo University). Directly comparable to Mabuchi Classroom in K-12 entrance exam preparation, competing head-to-head in the same Kansai and national markets.
• Nagase & Co. (Toshin High School / 東進ハイスクール): Parent of Toshin High School and Tosin Satellite Prep School — the franchise partner whose network Willway operates in Kansai. Direct competitor in university entrance exam preparation and the dominant nationwide brand in high-school/university prep, with hybrid video+in-person delivery model.
• Yoyogi Zemi (代々木ゼミナール): Major nationwide university entrance exam prep school brand, comparable to Willway's Mabuchi Tosin Satellite network in target market (university-bound high schoolers) and delivery model (lecture-style + satellite classrooms).
• Meisei Network Japan (明星ネットワーク): Kansai-based cram school operator with comparable product offering (K-12 entrance exam prep, individual tutoring, university prep). Direct competitor in the same Kansai geography with similar positioning around elite private school admission results.
• Tokyo Individualized Educational Institute (東京個別指導学院): Major Japanese individual-tutoring chain (1-on-1) comparable to Mabuchi Individual, with overlapping target customer (K-12 students) and similar premium individual-instruction delivery model, though primarily Tokyo-headquartered.

Broad incumbents

• Benesse Corporation (ベネッセコーポレーション): Largest Japanese education conglomerate offering cram schools (Tokyo Individualized Educational Institute, Benesse owned), publishing, and digital education. Broad incumbent with overlapping products but not specialized in elite K-12 entrance exam prep the way Willway is.
• Kumon (公文教育研究会): Largest supplemental education franchise in Japan, focused on math/reading worksheets. Adjacent supplemental education brand with massive student base but different positioning (foundational skills vs. entrance-exam prep).
• Gakken Holdings (学研ホールディングス): Diversified education group offering publishing, cram schools (Gakken Classroom), early childhood (Gakken Classroom Plus), and seniors services. Comparable multi-segment education services portfolio with overlapping K-12 and early-childhood offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tinbergen-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Willway