[Press Conference/Michio Kawai] 6/9 Announcement of New Party "Team Mirai" Official Candidate for Kanagawa Prefecture Constituency in the House of Councillors Election
On Monday, June 9, we held a press conference regarding the announcement of a new official candidate for the House of Councillors election from the new party "Team Mirai."
We are releasing a transcript of what the official candidate for the Kanagawa Prefecture constituency, "Michio Kawai," said at the press conference. We are also introducing the profile of "Michio Kawai."
Greeting from Party Leader Takahiro Anno
Everyone, thank you very much for gathering here today at the "Team Mirai" press conference despite your busy schedules.
Today, the new party "Team Mirai" is announcing our official candidate for the Kanagawa Prefecture constituency in the upcoming July House of Councillors election.
Regarding our official candidates, we select them by emphasizing two points:"Individuals who are active on the front lines of society with their respective expertise" and "Whether they are individuals who deeply understand the philosophy of Team Mirai and, once they enter national politics, will actually roll up their sleeves and work hard for Japan." I am confident that the official candidate we are introducing today is a person who embodies the philosophy and values of "Team Mirai" and can do their utmost to realize a "bright future" for everyone. Now, I would like to proceed to the announcement of the official candidate.
The person challenging from the Kanagawa Prefecture constituency for "Team Mirai" is Michio Kawai. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo, Mr. Kawai went on to the Graduate School of Education at Kyoto University, and has since been active in education-related companies.
Enthusiasm from Michio Kawai (Official Candidate for Kanagawa Prefecture Constituency)
Everyone, thank you for gathering here today despite your busy schedules. My name is Michio Kawai, and I am the official candidate for the Kanagawa Prefecture constituency in the House of Councillors election.
I am 34 years old, born in 1990. Since my student days, I have been interested in the field of education, and driven by the interest of how to improve education through technology, I studied the academic discipline of educational technology. Since then, I have been working at a company involved in education. Additionally, since my university days, I have been engaged in activities to support the career choices of high school and university students.
There are two reasons why I am thinking of challenging national politics this time. It is the desire to update the mechanisms of educational issues, and to invest in Japan's growth strategy in order to increase the options for all of you who will carry the next generation.
The original experience that led me to get involved in education was when a member of my own family stopped attending school. They did not get along well with their homeroom teacher at the time, and when there were few places to rely on within the school, they stopped attending, and I witnessed firsthand the painful experience both the individual and their parents were going through.
I felt very powerless. I keenly realized the current situation where, when one does not fit into the places prepared by society, it is not guaranteed that another place can be found. And I learned that this is not a problem of someone, such as a teacher, but a problem of the education system itself.
In the midst of that, what I encountered was the concept of open education. At that time, universities around the world were beginning to actively publish and share their classes online. A case where a 15-year-old boy in Mongolia who took online lectures went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States also became a hot topic. I myself had the experience of gathering top-performing students from online lectures for a graduate school project, and they really gathered from all over the world.I keenly realized that technology has the power to open up education, expand possibilities, and increase options.
There was news the other day that AI would be introduced in high schools in Tokyo, and the environment surrounding education is changing drastically right now. And it is expected that the speed of change from here on will become even faster. In such a situation, a mechanism that allows for flexible changes in what and how to teach is essential.
It should not be the end if you stumble once due to a bad relationship with a teacher; I want to create a system with many options. A system where learning opportunities that match one's interests, strengths, and characteristics are enriched. And where educational curricula that open up a person's potential can be flexibly realized in line with the times. I want to realize such an education system.
Also, what I feel while talking with high school and university students is the current situation where they do not have positive thoughts about the future of Japan, and as a result, they do not easily feel like they want to take on challenges. I believe it is important to redraw Japan's growth strategy in order to increase the options for all of you who will carry the next generation in the first place. To realize a situation where days are better than tomorrow and where one can safely learn what they are interested in, it is necessary to redefine the growth strategy currently needed by Japan and invest boldly.
I want thinking about the future to be something fun. I want thinking about one's own future to be something exciting. I want to do my utmost to realize such thoughts.
During the gubernatorial election, I was able to talk with many people, and I received great strength from your support. In this challenge, as Team Mirai, I will engage in broad dialogue with the people of Kanagawa, and while facing your wishes for daily life and your thoughts on what kind of society would be good, I will do my utmost to realize a society where we can feel like we want to walk toward the future. I truly hope that I can walk together with the people of Kanagawa.
This concludes the greeting from Michio Kawai, the official candidate for the Kanagawa constituency of the new party Team Mirai. Thank you very much.
June 9, 2025 Announcement: New Party "Team Mirai" Official Candidate Profile
[Kanagawa Prefecture Constituency] Michio Kawai
Born July 12, 1990. From Suginami Ward, Tokyo. After graduating from the Faculty of Letters at the University of Tokyo, he completed the Graduate School of Education at Kyoto University and worked at an education-related company. Also, since its launch in 2011, he has been engaged in HLAB, an educational project for high school and university students. Co-author of "Recommendation for Folkehøjskole: Learning from Denmark's 'Adult School'." General Branch Manager of the House of Councillors Kanagawa Prefecture Constituency for the new party "Team Mirai."
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