Zoshinkai’s Global Vision for Future-Ready Students

By Daniel de Bomford

The future is shaped in the classroom. It prepares people for the challenges they will face for the rest of their lives. Beyond rote learning, it teaches us resilience, critical thinking and social skills. In an era beset by complex challenges in an ever more interconnected world, the classroom has become a crucible that, now more than ever, shapes the future of humanity. At the heart of this transformation stands a company that has spent almost a century refining and redefining education in Japan.

For 90 years, Zoshinkai Holdings, operating under the name Z-kai Group, has provided comprehensive education in Japan, and more recently, abroad. The Z-kai Group’s philosophy, “Excellence in education for future global leaders,” reflects its focus on developing the next generation of leaders in society. President Takaaki Fujii says discussions of educational reform are right to focus on technological changes, such as AI; however, he believes it is equally essential to foster social and emotional skills, including autonomous decision-making and self-expression. The company has evolved from a correspondence provider to a comprehensive education group.

Responding to Japan’s shifting educational needs

Z-kai Group offers a comprehensive range of educational services, including distance education, preparatory schools, cram schools and language schools. Internationally, it partners with foreign programs to provide international student services and exchange. Furthermore, it produces materials, offers placements and provides educational services to institutions. Boasting over 270,000 students and achieving thousands of successful national university admissions to competitive institutions such as the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University, the Z-kai Group is a leading player in Japan’s educational sector.

Rethinking what and how students learn

The critical difference of Z-kai Group’s approach is its focus on going beyond simple knowledge acquisition. “Fostering critical thinking and autonomous decision-making remains a major challenge,” the president says. The group is adapting to the times and improving outcomes by transitioning from rigid group instruction to a personalized, learner-centered approach, in conjunction with advancements in technology. Previously in Japan, learning revolved around the teacher, with uniform instruction being given to the students; however, Fujii says that this approach is no longer sufficient. “Educators must teach students how to perceive and respond to ever-changing situations by thinking for themselves,” he states.

To meet these challenges, the Z-kai Group has reevaluated the future of education, identifying three key elements: what to teach, how to teach and how to integrate technology into the learning environment. Multiple choice examinations, for example, cannot assess how deeply a student thought through a problem. Thus, the company strongly advocates for written-response questions, especially those with full-length answers. These questions require students to think logically and accurately express their thoughts, allowing their answers to be analyzed and facilitating constructive feedback. “This interactive written instruction method (correction-based instruction) has formed a core value of our distance learning service since it was introduced by our founder around 90 years ago,” Fujii says. By actively incorporating technologies, such as AI, the company can better support students’ growth and development. Technology is enhancing learning efficiency, allowing the company to devote more time to reinforcing social-emotional skills essential for a rapidly changing society.

Building the next generation of global leaders

“In light of recent social demands, global perspectives and diversity are becoming increasingly vital in education,” Fujii posits. Academic ability alone is no longer sufficient for students to thrive in our interconnected world. The company is actively reshaping its curriculum to foster critical thinking, emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, diversity, proactivity and independent judgment. Z-kai Group is undertaking pilot initiatives to support this goal through alternative assessment models that focus on behavioral observation and self-reflection. As it gathers data and improves statistical reliability for the assessments, it can employ the results to create instructional programs that address individual gaps and guide students towards growth.

Overseas operations

Innovation in action: The Z-kai Inventive School

The Z-kai Group recently announced the opening of Z-kai Inventive School at Toyota Woven City, where it is participating as an inventor. Fujii says Toyota and Z-kai Group share a common vision regarding society and education. “We strongly resonate with Toyota Woven City’s purpose of ‘well-being for all’ and its mission of ‘to pave the way towards the next generation of movement on a test course that empowers innovation,” he explains. At Z-kai Inventive School, the company aims to demonstrate, invent and embody excellence in education. The group will bring instructional expertise honed over 90 years and apply it in conjunction with Toyota’s advanced technological integration. Leveraging both groups’ strengths, they aim to realize “new learning environments” and “leveraging data to realize innovative educational methods.”

At the Z-kai Inventive School, children will engage in enquiry-based learning such as STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics), fostering intelligence and sensibility through a child-centered approach. “We place particular emphasis on this type of enquiry-based learning as a method to develop independent thinking and self-reliance,” Fujii explains. The school will also foster global citizenship, encouraging students to embrace diversity and inclusion, building a worldview that enables them to function in an interconnected society.

Expanding horizons through global growth

With Japan’s demographic decline, the domestic education market is shrinking. However, Fujii identifies sectors with long-term growth potential, and determining how to allocate key resources to capitalize on promising business opportunities is a key focus for the group. While the B2C sector, which targets individual customers, is  affected by the shrinking population, corporate B2B clients continue to grow strongly in specific areas.

Z-kai Group’s B2B business provides services to three primary customer groups: cram school operators, educational institutions and government agencies, including boards of education and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Fujii says that all of these customer bases have the potential for business expansion. Being one of the earliest and heaviest investors in IT within the education sector, Z-kai Group operates a shared B2B platform across the group, allowing it to integrate its B2B business more effectively and differentiate itself from its competitors.

The company selects potential overseas markets based on three criteria: sufficient growth potential, whether its high-quality products will be well-received in the market and whether the target market can create synergies with the Global Study Program run by its group company, International Students Service (ISS). “ISS holds a very high market share in study abroad arrangements within Japan, and leveraging the local network established by ISS is a crucial strategy for building our business foundation,” Fujii says.

Fujii offers Eikoh North America, the company’s North American subsidiary, as an example. Established in 2018, it has provided educational services in the United States and continued to grow steadily year after year, returning to profitability following the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the keys to its success is strong local support. “Unlike other Japanese education companies in North America that mainly target Japanese expatriate children, we focus not only on returnee students but also on local children—about half of our students are American,” Fujii explains. The company sees significant potential in Asia, and is looking forward to developing its business with the right local partners who can create synergies. Fujii explains, “We recognize that strong partnerships with local companies are essential to establishing a meaningful presence in new markets.”

As the world races to meet the demands of a new era, Z-kai Group offers a compelling model rooted in innovation. Beyond traditional instruction, the group’s focus on technology, global citizenship and emotional intelligence makes it a global leader in the new educational paradigm. By looking outward and establishing global partnerships, it is forging the next generation of leaders, intelligent and empathetic global citizens.

To hear more from President Takaaki Fujii of Zoshinkai Holdings, check out this interview with him.