jig.jp Founder Taisuke Fukuno and Sakura Internet Initiatives --Saku Maga

Profile of Taisuke Fukuno

After graduating from Fukui National College of Technology, he became addicted to programming when he was in the third grade of elementary school, and developed the jig browser at his third company, jig.jp. He proposes open data to Sabae City, the birth of Japan's first open data city, and begins "one day one creation" to create and announce something every day. "Programming for all children" PCN co-founder and developer of children's PC IchigoJam. He teaches fun programming and data utilization techniques, ranging from children to adults. He is actually from Ishikawa prefecture.

Takayuki Takahashi Profile

Born in Tokyo. After working as a customer support and pre-sales engineer, he joined Sakura Internet in 2006. After engaging in operations field work, he was appointed as an operations executive officer in 2011. He was transferred as a sales manager in 2016, started a non-profit organization Kids Venture, and after working as a representative director of a group company, he is currently engaged in customer front business management and group company management work.

Meeting and relationship between two people

--When did Mr. Fukuno and Mr. Takahashi have been dating?

Takayuki Takahashi (Takahashi): I've known jig.jp for a long time, but it was the first time I talked to Mr. Fukuno in 2013 when I visited the Ishikari Data Center.

Taisuke Fukuno (Fukuno): You also ate a pot (laughs). At that time, I was surely invited by Mr. Tanaka, the representative of Sakura Internet. Mr. Tanaka was a senior at a technical college one grade higher, and I often met him at events related to technical college.

Recent activities of Mr. Fukuno, the developer of IchigoJam

--Are there any new things started in 2021?

Fukuno: Last year, the "Code for FUKUI", an organization that conducts civic tech activities to "solve local issues with technology," was officially launched. I am the representative. We are mainly working on joint projects with the Fukui Prefectural Office.

The biggest initiative was to make it possible to publish vaccination reservation availability information in real time. Immediately I developed an app using an open data conversion system. Currently, we are managing and operating with the Fukui Prefectural Office. With this initiative, we have created a model of collaborative work using new open source between the government and the private sector.

Programming education for children

--Please tell us what made you want to do programming education for children.

Fukuno: Around 2012, when I asked a college student, "Do you like programming?", I was desperate that no one raised my hand (laughs). From there, I began to think that it would be too late to learn programming after becoming a college student, and started activities to encourage elementary and junior high school students to become good college students.

--What made you start working with Sakura Internet with Mr. Fukuno?

Takahashi: In 2014, you saw an article about IchigoJam on Mr. Fukuno's blog, "Taisuke Fukuno's One-day Creation." At the time when we started the initiative, we wanted to create an opportunity for children to become full of venture spirits and become entrepreneurs.

Perhaps it was just the right time to start, a tremendous number of programming groups for children were formed around this time. Now it has changed to the concept of "deliver to places that cannot be reached".

Programming education in Africa

--- You said you went to Africa together before, can you tell us more about that time?

Takahashi: Well, the president, who is active mainly in Africa, invited me with drunken momentum, and when I realized it, I was in Africa, we (laughs).

From the field, we held discussions and workshops for children and young people who are aiming to become engineers.

--What is the IT level in Africa?

Fukuno: In a sense, it's amazing. I don't have paper, printers, or fax machines in my office. It is ahead of Japan in the sense that it is skipping paper culture. However, the size and depth of the engineer is not yet available. However, the situation in Japan is uncertain. In order for Japanese children to understand this, we also share the experiences of overseas children.

Takahashi: The bills are amazing, aren't they? The Rwandan banknotes are printed with African children heading to their laptops.

Fukuno: I'm also lobbying to show people from the Ministry of Education that the country is doing everything in their power and tell them that it's dangerous (laughs).

New technical college established for the first time in about 20 years

--Mr. Fukuno has been appointed as the director of technical education at Kamiyama Marugoto National College of Technology (tentative name). Can you tell us how he took office?

Fukuno: It's a recommendation from Mr. Tanaka (laughs). Actually, I am also a future strategy advisor for Fukui National College of Technology, and I am doing various activities to get closer to my ideal technical college. But after all, it doesn't change easily. So I think it's good to create a new technical college. I hope that the whole Kamiyama technical college will be stimulated and have a positive impact on other technical colleges.

--What does the Director of Technology Education do?

Fukuno: We are designing the technology-side curriculum of Kamiyama National College of Technology, which focuses on technology and design. In addition, I will be in charge of boot camp as a part-time teacher. I would like college students to learn that "it is not good to be taught. It is interesting because I do it myself."

--- I have an image that college students are being trained as ready-to-work human resources. What kind of students do you want to raise at Kamiyama Marugoto National College of Technology?

Fukuno: The technical college was created like a mercenary training school 60 years ago. I'm doing various activities to change the mercenary way of working, but it's quite difficult. So, what happens if you raise entrepreneurship development from the beginning is the challenge of Kamiyama Marugoto College. I think that student entrepreneurship can only be gained even if it fails.

For me, I want you to do what you want to do, not just starting a business.

For example, for a child who really only likes making things, the fun of spreading what he has made to the world is the basis. And I would like to ask various people to teach me about business and help me.

At Kamiyama Marugoto National College of Technology, we plan to focus on these three things: passion, creation technology, and communication technology.

What Fukuno wants to do from now on

--- "Change what you want to do to what you can do" is Sakura Internet's corporate motto. Is there anything Fukuno wants to do in the future?

Fukuno: We are researching the creation of an organization that supports children in the "Regional ICT Club" project of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Among them, I would like to support the establishment of the Fukui branch of the senior programming network. For example, I think there is a style in which children make amazing things and have experienced seniors consolidate external negotiations.

--Mr. Takahashi, is there anything you would like to do with Mr. Fukuno and Mr. jig.jp in the future?

Takahashi: From last year, we started activities for special needs schools and people with disabilities. Remote work is now commonplace, and you can work even if you have a handicap. Rather, they are better. Therefore, I would like to work together with motivated people to create an environment. By the way, did Mr. Fukuno not have a programming class for people who are blind?

Fukuno: Previously, you created something called "IchigoJam readnspeak" that allows you to program just by listening, and you trained at a school for the blind in Fukui Prefecture. There are actually engineers who work using the reading function, and if you realize that you can do it, the world will expand. Mr. Takahashi, let's do that together!

Takahashi: Let's do it, let's do it! The people who are active now are the result of individual efforts. So, I would like to convey that such a thing can be done in theory.

Fukuno: I also want to spread open source. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is promoting the open source of the administrative system, but I would like Fukui Prefecture to follow suit. Among them, I want to create a mechanism to work as open source. Rather than aiming for a complete delivery premise first, I would like to establish an open source development method by sharing a vision and take a style of paying rewards as well as volunteering. In that case, it doesn't matter how long you work or whether you have a disability.

On GitHub, a world where junior high school students are pulling in English and everyone is on an equal footing has already begun. I want to expand this kind of world steadily.

--Thank you, Mr. Fukuno and Mr. Takahashi!

Akie Asada