issue+design

What issue+design does

issue+design (legal name: 特定非営利活動法人イシュープラスデザイン) is a Tokyo-based Japanese non-profit organization founded in 2008 that applies a co-design methodology to address social issues through citizen creativity. Its program portfolio spans dementia awareness (anchored by the 200,000-copy-selling book "Walking in the World of Dementia" and related exhibitions and certification), decarbonization and community design (via an educational "college" and an "Earth voice" database), marine debris (dialogue-based beach cleanups branded as "umigome"), school enrollment support, and disaster preparedness. Operational reach extends beyond Tokyo to Kanagawa (Kamakura), Okayama (Inujima), Gunma, and Ishikawa (Komatsu), supported by formal partnerships with Benesse (Benesse Art Site Naoshima), NOSIGNER (designer Eisuke Tachikawa), NPO Borderless Foundation, and Okayama City's Inujima Nature School.

The organization's product architecture blends publishing, immersive programming (ARTCAMP@Inujima is a multi-day residential workshop priced at 130,000-180,000 yen), facilitator training (a 76,000 yen course), text-based AI consultancy ("A.I. Senpai" for dementia), paid certification (Dementia World Walking Certification, 60 questions, 1,000 yen per attempt at a 95% pass threshold), and recurring community membership (Guild, 2,000 yen/month). It also runs a new AI Marketing instruction line ("AI Camp") launched in 2026, indicating an early diversification of commercial surface area. The organization is led by founder/representative Yusuke Kakehi.

The business model is a hybrid of content IP, fee-for-service workshops, paid certification/testing, and modest subscription revenue, all delivered to a diversified end market of individual citizens, local governments, social-purpose practitioners, and corporate teams. Pricing is granular and individual-purchaser-led rather than enterprise-contract-led, which constrains absolute scale but diversifies revenue dependency. Most recent strategic momentum is concentrated in expanding the dementia franchise (Tokyo exhibition 2026-03-09, Kamakura week 2026-05), launching Mii/umigome community contests (2026-03-18), and launching the AI Camp course line.

Name

issue+design

Legal name

特定非营利活動法人イシュープラスデザイン

Website

https://issueplusdesign.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Short description

issue+design is a Tokyo-based Japanese NPO founded in 2008 that uses a co-design methodology to address social issues, offering books, workshops, facilitator training, certification, and dialogue-based programming across dementia, decarbonization, marine debris, and education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Design Programs

akta.pro primary industry

Memory Care Care Management & Navigation (Dementia Care Coordination) (HLADACAJ)

Keywords

• Social design services
• Dementia awareness programs
• Co-design methodology
• Decarbonization community design
• Facilitator training workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workshop and Program Fees: Revenue from educational programs such as ARTCAMP@犬島 (130,000-180,000 yen), facilitator training courses (76,000 yen), and various workshops
2. Book Sales and Publications: Sales of books including 'Walking in the World of Dementia' (200,000 copies sold), educational materials, and workbooks for various programs
3. Certification and Testing Fees: Revenue from dementia certification exams (1,000 yen per attempt) and related educational assessments
4. Community Membership (SDGs de 未来構想ギルド): Monthly subscription (2,000 yen/month) for community access after facilitator training, providing ongoing support and resource sharing

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

issue+design is a Japanese nonprofit that designs and delivers social-issue programs and educational experiences using co-design methodology, including facilitator training courses, multi-day workshops, brand books and exhibitions (most notably the dementia-awareness "Walking in the World of Dementia" program with a 200,000+ copy book, online certification, and an AI senpai), dialogue-style beach cleanups (うみごme), and corporate/local-government engagements on decarbonization and regional revitalization.

Product overview

issue+design is a social design organization offering a portfolio of programs, publications, and experiential learning initiatives. The core offerings include: (1) 認知症世界の歩き方 - a comprehensive dementia awareness program with a bestselling book (200,000+ copies), experiential exhibitions, an AI-powered senpai consultant, online college, workshops, and certification tests; (2) みんなde就学活動 - school enrollment support with books and worksheets; (3) 脱炭素まわりくくり - decarbonization community design with educational college, database, and speculative fiction content; (4) うみごme - dialogue-based beach cleanup programs; (5) artcamp@犬島 - multi-day future vision workshops; and (6) issue+design books - publishing for various social issues including infection control and island/regional thinking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• うみごme (Umigome/Mii): Dialogue-style beach cleanup program for marine debris reduction
• 痴呆症世界の歩き方 (Walking in the World of Dementia)
• 脱炭素まちづくりカレッジ (Decarbonization Town Design College)
• 未来構想 artcamp@犬島
• みんな就学活動

Products and services

• Walking in the World of Dementia (認知症世界の歩き方) Program A comprehensive dementia-awareness program anchored by a bestselling book (200,000+ copies sold), an experiential exhibition, an online college, workshops, a certification test, and the A.I. senpai, designed to help individuals, communities, and organizations experience the world from the perspective of people living with dementia.
• SDGs de Future Vision artcamp@犬島 A multi-day residential workshop held on Inujima island combining art, industrial heritage, and sustainability concepts to teach co-design methods for envisioning and creating sustainable regional/future scenarios, including SDGs de Future Vision facilitator training certification.
• SDGs de 未来構想 Facilitator Training Course Paid online facilitator training course (76,000 yen, max 20 participants) covering the SDGs de Future Vision methodology, including the Issue Map and Seeds of the Future tools; graduates gain ongoing access to the certified facilitator guild.
• うみごme (Mii) Dialogue-style Beach Cleanup Program A community-based dialogue-plus-cleanup program for reducing marine debris and ocean plastics, including events such as the Minna no Umigome Contest and on-site キャンペーン for organizations and individuals.
• 脱炭素まちづくり (Decarbonization Community Design) A program enabling citizens, businesses, government, and universities to co-create decarbonization and carbon-neutrality activities, including a 脱炭素まちづくりカレッジ (college) and the Earth voice database/journal content such as the speculative-fiction series "Eastern Travelogue 2100".
• みんなで就学活動 (Everyone's School Enrollment Activity) A project supporting families with children who need additional support during elementary-school enrollment, providing books, worksheets, workshops, and expert interviews to help families make informed school choices.
• issue+design Books (Publishing Business) Publishing arm producing books and workbooks on social issues including dementia, infection prevention, island/regional thinking, and other social-design topics, sold through retail bookstores and the organization's own online shop.
• 感染クラスター8 (Infection Cluster 8) A project that addresses infection prevention and welfare-facility management, originally activated during the COVID-19 pandemic and maintained as a knowledge resource for care facilities.
• 避難生活+デザイン (Evacuation Life + Design) A disaster-preparedness pre-project focused on design solutions for daily life inside evacuation shelters, including design research outputs and competition entries.
• Dementia World Walking Certification (認知症世界の歩き方 検定) An online certification exam (60 questions across Basic and Case sections) that validates knowledge about dementia; passing requires 95% or higher correct answers to earn "Dementia World Walking Master" status, with test codes sold at 1,000 yen per attempt.
• A.I. せんぱい (AI Senpai / Guide) An AI-powered conversational assistant on the Dementia World platform that lets users ask text questions about dementia-related concerns and daily-life challenges, simulating consultation with someone who has experienced the dementia world.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ copies of 'Walking in the World of Dementia' book sold
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NPO Borderless FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2021Co-organized the experiential exhibition 'What if I Walked in the World of Dementia?' alongside NPO issue+design, bringing together organizations to address dementia as a social issue through collaborative programs.
• NOSIGNER (太刀川英輔氏)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2021Featured in SYNERGY DIALOGUE initiative, with NOSIGNER representative Etsu Tachikawa participating in future-oriented dialogue programs. Represents collaboration with leading design strategists in social innovation space.
• Benesse Corporation (ベネッセアートサイト直島)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 June 2021Collaboration with Benesse's art sites on Naoshima and Inujima for the ARTCAMP program.DAY3-4 of the program are operated by Benesse Cultural Village, utilizing art and industrial heritage venues for educational purposes.
• Okayama City / Inujima Nature School (岡山市立犬島自然の家)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2021Provides accommodation facilities for ARTCAMP participants at the former Inujima Elementary/Middle school facility, enabling immersive overnight experiences during the program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: A global design and innovation firm with established social innovation and human-centered design practices. IDEO is broadly comparable to issue+design through their shared emphasis on co-design methodology, citizen creativity, and movement-building for addressing social issues at scale.
• Ashoka: A global network supporting social entrepreneurs and changemakers. Comparable to issue+design through both organizations' work with social entrepreneurs and citizen changemakers, including via the SDGs de 未来構想 facilitator program and broader community-building approaches.
• Benesse Corporation: A major Japanese education and lifestyle company that operates as issue+design's venue and content partner for ARTCAMP programs at Naoshima and Inujima. Comparable to issue+design through overlapping focus on education, social issues, and cultural-site-based programming, though at substantially larger scale.
• frog (Capgemini Engineering): A global design and strategy firm now part of Capgemini Engineering, comparable to issue+design through its cross-disciplinary collaboration model and design-driven innovation work spanning both commercial and social impact projects.

Direct peers

• NOSIGNER: A Japanese design strategy firm led by Etsu Tachikawa, whose participation in issue+design's SYNERGY DIALOGUE programs signals close methodological alignment. NOSIGNER's combination of design strategy with social and sustainability themes directly mirrors issue+design's positioning at the intersection of design, social issues, and future visioning.
• NPO Borderless Foundation: A Japanese NPO and strategic co-organizer of issue+design's dementia experiential exhibitions, focused on social issues including poverty and healthcare. Both organizations co-organize the 'What if I Walked in the World of Dementia?' exhibition, making them directly comparable Japanese social-issue NPOs with overlapping mission scope and methodology.

Emerging players

• Code for Japan: A Japanese civic-tech NPO that mobilizes citizens for community problem-solving. Comparable to issue+design through similar citizen-engagement methodologies and social-issue focus, though Code for Japan's primary lens is technology-enabled civic engagement rather than co-design.
• Social Venture Partners Japan: A Japanese venture philanthropy organization supporting social purpose organizations with engaged partners. Comparable to issue+design as both engage citizen partners to address social problems, though SVP does so through funding and pro-bono partnership rather than direct program delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/issueplusdesign

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 issue+design