ISOP

What ISOP does

有限会社イソップ (ISOP Co., Ltd.) is a Japanese yūgen gaisha (limited liability company) headquartered in Akechi Town, Ena City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, that functions as the operating entity behind the Cleaning Learning Association (掃除に学ぶ会 / Souji ni Manabu Kai) community movement. Founded in 1993, the organization coordinates volunteer-led cleaning activities at schools, public facilities, and street locations as a vehicle for character and moral education, with the methodology historically associated with Keyama Hidetsugu (鍵山秀三郎) and the broader Nihon wo Utsukushiku Suru Kai (Japan Beautiful Organization) network. ISOP's primary activities are organizing large-scale events such as the annual Taisho Village Cleaning Learning Association (drawing 400-800+ participants) and recurring school programs like the West Mikawa series (152+ editions) and Nagoya street cleaning (119+ editions), alongside partner-school programs such as the 18-year 'Toilet Revolution' at Okazaki Municipal Ryukai Middle School.

The organization's product surface is non-commercial: participation in cleaning events is free and voluntary, and ISOP does not sell technology products or services. Its website (akechi.co.jp) operates primarily as an event-record publication and information hub documenting activity across Gifu, Aichi, Nagano, Shizuoka, Mie, Kyoto, Tokyo, Okinawa, and Taiwan. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the operating model is funded through membership fees and donations from supporters, with logistics support provided by corporate partners such as Nakayama Group and Sugi Seika Co., Ltd. The customer base is composed of schools, students, teachers, parents, and community volunteers rather than paying commercial buyers, and the organization maintains no technology platform, mobile applications, AI capabilities, or APIs.

ISOP is privately held with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, or investors. The most recent documented activity in the source data dates to October 2018, and no headcount, revenue, or growth-metric data is available. Strategic significance lies in cultural and educational brand continuity rather than commercial scalability; the entity is best characterized as a long-running community nonprofit-style operator in yūgen gaisha form.

Name

ISOP

Legal name

有限会社イソップ

Website

https://akechi.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ISOP Co., Ltd. is a Japanese limited liability company founded in 1993 that coordinates the Cleaning Learning Association (掃除に学ぶ会), organizing free volunteer cleaning events at schools and public facilities across Japan and Taiwan for character and moral education. It is funded through membership fees and donations and serves students, teachers, parents, and community volunteers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community volunteer and educational event services

NAICS

Janitorial Services (561720)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Cleaning (Deep Cleaning, Floor Care, Disinfection, Post-Construction) (EDAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education (K-12/University) Cleaning (IMAIADAH)

Keywords

• Community volunteer events
• Cleaning education programs
• School character education
• Toilet cleaning training
• Community cleanup coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Ena

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

ISOP Co., Ltd. (有限会社イソップ) coordinates and documents community cleaning events under the Cleaning Learning Association (掃除に学ぶ会) framework, primarily serving schools and community groups across Japan. The organization facilitates large-scale volunteer cleaning events (notably the annual Taisho Village event), school-based cleaning programs such as the "Toilet Revolution" (トイレ革命), and street cleanup activities such as the Nagoya Street Cleaning series. Participation is free, and the organization does not sell any commercial products or services.

Product overview

ISOP (有限会社イソップ) is a community-based organization that operates the Cleaning Learning Association (掃除に学ぶ会) website (akechi.co.jp). The organization does not offer commercial technology products or services. Instead, it serves as an informational and coordination platform documenting the activities of the Cleaning Learning Association, which organizes toilet cleaning training sessions and volunteer events primarily at schools and public facilities across Japan. The website serves as an event record database and news publication platform for the cleaning education movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taisho Village Cleaning Learning Association Annual Event (大正村掃除に学ぶ会) Annual flagship community cleaning event coordinated by ISOP in Taisho Village (Akechi Town, Gifu Prefecture), bringing together students, teachers, parents, and community members for school and public-facility cleaning practice.
• School Cleaning Education Programs (Toilet Revolution / トイレ革命) Recurring school-based cleaning education program, particularly focused on toilet cleaning at middle and high schools, designed as a vehicle for character/moral education and student community engagement.
• Nagoya Street Cleaning Series (名古屋街頭清掃) Recurring street and public-space cleanup events in central Nagoya, open to community volunteers, with the 100th edition documented in November 2014.
• West Mikawa Cleaning Learning Association Series (西三河掃除に学ぶ会)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 台湾掃除に学ぶ会 (Taiwan Cleaning Learning Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2007ISOP participated in the 第2回 世界大会 in Taiwan (June 2007), co-organized with Taiwanese partners. This international partnership resulted in 13,604+ Taiwanese participants and 517 Japanese participants, marking a significant cross-border expansion of the cleaning education movement.
• 日本を美しくする会 (Japan Beautiful Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISOP is an integral member of the 日本を美しくする会 network. The organization facilitates supporter (サポータ) participation in cleaning events and shares the cleaning education philosophy championed by 鍵山秀三郎. This partnership provides access to a nationwide network of volunteers, event frameworks, and educational materials.
• 大正村 (Taisho Village / Akechi-cho)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 大正村掃除に学ぶ会 is the flagship annual event held in 岐阜県恵那市明智町. 大正村 serves as the spiritual birthplace of the cleaning education movement, hosting the largest regional events with 400–800 participants annually since 1993.
• 岡崎市立竜海中学校 (Okazaki City Ryukai Middle School)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA flagship 'トイレ革命' partner school. The cleaning program has been running continuously for over 18 years, with the school consistently hosting 200+ student participants each year. It is a model site for the cleaning education methodology.
• ナカヤマグループ (Nakayama Group)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerナカヤマグループ provides support in preparing cleaning tools, equipment setup, and event logistics for various cleaning events. They contribute to event preparation and cleanup activities.
• スギ製菓株式会社 (Sugi Seika Co., Ltd.)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partnerスギ製菓子 supports 西三河掃除に学ぶ会 events by preparing and organizing cleaning tools, as well as post-event cleanup activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• 台湾掃除に学ぶ会: Taiwan-based counterpart association that co-organized the 2007 World Convention with ISOP and serves 13,000+ Taiwanese participants. Operates the identical cleaning-education methodology in a different geography, making it a direct functional peer that demonstrates the model's portability.

Emerging players

• 特定非営利活動法人 学校教育研究所: Japan-based NPO supporting moral and character education programs in schools, an adjacent space to ISOP's cleaning-based moral-education curriculum. Comparable as a community-supported organization addressing the same demand for hands-on moral instruction.
• NPO法人 掃除大賞: Japanese NPO that promotes and recognizes cleaning activities across organizations and schools. Comparable as a community-oriented, volunteer-driven entity building national awareness around cleaning as a social practice, with partial overlap in target audience.
• 特定非営利活動法人 日本トイレ研究所: Japanese NPO focused on toilet culture, sanitation, and restroom improvement advocacy. Comparable to ISOP in the overlap around toilet cleaning/sanitization as a vehicle for social and educational value, though oriented more toward global development than school character education.

Direct peers

• 公益財団法人 学校美化研究会: Japanese organization focused on cleaning and beautification activities in schools, addressing the same intersection of cleaning practice and educational values that ISOP operates in. Comparable as a Japan-based, school-focused cleaning and character-education body.

Broad incumbents

• 日本を美しくする会: The nationwide umbrella organization founded by Keyama Hidetsugu that ISOP is a core affiliate of. Operates the same cleaning-as-moral-education philosophy at national scale and provides the volunteer/event framework ISOP uses; comparable as the parent movement and the closest analogue to ISOP's mission.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ISOP