Society is shaped by structures we take for granted. Who is struggling, and why do problems persist? We use data to capture reality and design to build systems for change. ISVD is a nonprofit dedicated to this practice.
'Don't let ideas stay ideas.' ISVD was founded in 2025 as a space to confront social challenges through both design and implementation.
Mission
Many social issues persist because they are dismissed as inevitable. ISVD captures reality through data, translates it into actionable design, and walks alongside partners through implementation. We bridge the gap between vision and execution.
Vision
We publish social-issue data in formats anyone can read, and implement solutions through cross-sector collaboration. Our goal: a self-sustaining cycle of learning, thinking, and acting.
Values
Ideas are not enough. We design for implementation and stay through operations
No hunches, no impressions. We ground every decision in research and numbers, making facts visible to build common ground
Government, business, nonprofits, citizens. We design for shared goals, starting from different positions
Focus Areas
ISVD's full name includes 'Social Vision Design' — but 'kōsō' means something more specific than 'vision.'
A plan determines how to execute within existing frameworks. A vision paints an ideal future. But neither questions the underlying assumptions of the status quo.
Kōsō asks what society ought to look like and redesigns the premises themselves. Not improving existing systems, but returning to the 'why' behind them — then designing and implementing from there. That is Social Vision Design.
Every column, research project, and guide that ISVD publishes grows from this practice of kōsō. We use data to capture reality, decode structures, and propose new systems. Sharing that process openly is at the core of what ISVD does.
ISVD's 'Social Vision Design' is a different undertaking from the Digital Society Vision Council convened by Japan's Digital Agency. The latter is a government advisory body that deliberates on the Priority Plan for the Realization of a Digital Society, with its scope limited to digital policy. ISVD, by contrast, is an independent nonprofit that researches and intervenes in the underlying assumptions of society as a whole — welfare, labor, public assets, epistemic injustice, and more. The names overlap in part, but the actor, scope, and method are distinct.
We want more people to envision change. We want to build a society where everyone faces social challenges and takes action.
That is why we bring in the methods of design and business development. We measure where things stand, then read the structure behind why they got that way. Only then can we build something that keeps running on its own.
Working with municipalities, businesses, universities, and NPOs, we support social vision across six domains.
Research & Knowledge Dissemination
Analyzing the structures behind social issues through data and theory, publishing insights as columns, research notes, and statistical dashboards. Building an information foundation for understanding how society works.
Social Vision Design & Evaluation
From articulating vision and mission to building logic models and designing outcome indicators. Translating an organization's vision into an actionable blueprint and evaluating its results.
Social Impact Project Planning & Execution
End-to-end support from structural analysis of regional challenges to project design, building cross-sector partnerships with government, business, and academia, through to execution.
PR & Communication Design
Designing how socially meaningful organizations communicate. From articulating vision to visual expression and stakeholder relationship building — creating communication that reaches.
Fundraising & Organizational Infrastructure
Grant and subsidy utilization support, crowdfunding design, Google for Nonprofits onboarding. Including AI and DX-driven operational efficiency to build a sustainable organizational foundation.
Education & Talent Development
Educational programs for creators, social entrepreneurs, and students committed to social issues. Building expert networks through the ISVD Fellowship program.
Representative Director of ISVD. As a creative director, he leads the full process from structural analysis of social issues to strategic design and implementation. Specializes in data-driven problem visualization and process design that translates insights into systems.
View profileProject designer. Facilitates communication, management, and direction within organizations and projects, serving as a hub where consultations naturally converge through connecting people.
View profileCurriculum Director at Kamiyama Marugoto College of Design, Technology and Entrepreneurship, teaching social studies, career education, and entrepreneurship. Certified career consultant (MHLW) and Special Research Fellow at Waseda University Institute for Education Research.
View profileSince our founding in March 2025, we have been building a body of work in structural analysis of social issues.
For articles of incorporation, financial reports, and important announcements, please see the Public Notice page.
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