Naoya Yokota quoted in Nikkei Architecture's feature on reusing closed schools
The 22 October 2026 issue of Nikkei Architecture, published by Nikkei BP, carries a comment by Naoya Yokota, representative director of the Institute for Social Vision Design, on lease terms and the financial viability of reusing closed schools.
The 22 October 2026 issue of Nikkei Architecture (No. 1322), published by Nikkei BP, carries a comment by Naoya Yokota, representative director of the Institute for Social Vision Design, in its feature on reusing closed schools, 「廃校活用の極意」.
The article on pages 28–29 examines the challenges facing closed school sites whose future use remains undecided. On page 29, Yokota draws on his participation in a municipal consultation with potential operators before a public call for proposals. He discusses the gap between a municipality's proposed lease term and the time an operator needs to recover renovation costs.
The interview followed an article on PUBLIC 0, the institute's publication on public asset reuse. PUBLIC 0 explains closed school reuse cases and challenges(external site, opens in a new tab), drawing on public materials from Japan's education ministry.
The article is also available on Nikkei xTECH in Japanese. Access to the full text requires an eligible paid membership or subscription.
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