Jizoku Inc. Recognized as Hitotsubashi University’s First Startup Venture Addressing Climate Change at U7+ Alliance Summit

Jizoku Inc. is pleased to announce that President Nakano of Hitotsubashi University introduced it as the first officially recognized “startup venture from Hitotsubashi University” contributing to climate change initiatives during the 7th Summit of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, held at the University of Ottawa in Canada on April 22–23, 2025.

The U7+ Alliance is a global coalition of leading universities established in 2019 through an initiative by Sciences Po in Paris. Comprising over 50 member institutions, the alliance provides a platform for university presidents to engage in direct dialogue on pressing global issues and to make policy recommendations to national governments. In addition to G7 countries, member universities also represent regions such as Africa, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania, hence the name U7 “Plus.”

Six universities from Japan participated in the alliance: Hitotsubashi University, Keio University, the University of Tokyo, Osaka University, Tohoku University, and Waseda University.

The 7th summit convened at the University of Ottawa, welcoming 85 university presidents and vice presidents from 16 countries. During the session on “Climate Change and Sustainability”—one of the main themes of the summit—President Nakano took the stage as one of the panelists.

In his presentation, he highlighted several initiatives led by Hitotsubashi University, including the recognition of Jizoku Inc. as the university’s first startup venture, actively engaged in generating carbon credits in the agricultural sector. He also introduced the establishment of programs aimed at cultivating sustainability leaders in collaboration with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

Jizoku Inc. remains committed to strengthening collaborations with universities and research institutions and to driving forward innovative efforts toward building a sustainable society.