This report is our opportunity to inform and inspire our global community. Here, you will find highlights of the 2025-26 academic year and updates on how we have pursued our unique school mission and vision.
This year saw the launch of two new initiatives, the Alumni Action Fund (AAF) and the ISAK Impact Awards. The UWC ISAK vision, One Life, is not something that ends at graduation. It is a way of living that our community continues to be asked about long after leaving campus.
Entrepreneurship is one expression of that vision, and through the AAF we will keep standing alongside our alumni as they take on new challenges, building the future together. Watching the ISAK Impact Award videos, I was moved by the strong will and concrete action behind every project, each one striving to create real change in society.
As divisions in the world deepen, I feel both hope and pride that so many challenges are emerging from UWC ISAK. I look forward, from the bottom of my heart, to seeing this ripple spread and spark even more challenges in turn.
The global landscape continues to grow more turbulent, and uncertainty is rising by the day, including here in Asia. Add to this the breathtaking pace of AI development and the changes it is bringing to the labor market, and it has become harder than ever to imagine what the world will look like even a few years from now.
In times this difficult to predict, what kind of people should educational institutions nurture? As the simple acquisition of knowledge loses its relative value, what does learning itself mean? These are questions we continue to engage with sincerely, every day.
Since our founding in 2014, we have championed four core capacities:
When it comes to gathering and processing information, it is no longer easy for humans to maintain an edge over AI. That is precisely why three things matter more than ever. The perspective to find questions that are not mere extensions of the past. The editorial instinct to weave new meaning by connecting people and ideas where different values intersect. And what we call intentional optimism, the will to carve out one’s own path through unpredictable times.
What should leadership education that nurtures these capacities look like? We aspire to be a school where faculty and students keep learning together, evolving a little more each year.
To our community of supporters who sustain this work, to the faculty and staff who overcome daily challenges on the ground, and to our Board of Directors, Councilors, and Auditors, thank you. We are sincerely grateful.
At a time when the world can feel increasingly fractured and uncertain, UWC ISAK Japan continues to stand as a reminder of what is possible when young people from different nations, cultures, and perspectives choose connection over division. Our students give us reason for hope, not because they avoid complexity, but because they engage with it with compassion, curiosity and courage.
This year, we deepened our commitment to our vision: One Life | Realize Your Potential | Be a Catalyst for Positive Change. Central to this work is our belief that diversity is not simply a condition; it is a strength that invites curiosity, challenges assumptions, and expands our understanding of what it means to live and lead alongside others. With “peace begins with connection” as one of ISAK’s core strategic priorities, we are co-creating a uniquely ISAK curriculum designed to help students navigate conflict constructively, engage difference with curiosity and empathy, and build meaningful connection across perspectives. We equally recognize that peace begins within: wellbeing, self-awareness, and care for others are essential foundations for leadership and lasting positive change.
We continued advancing our strategy of “pioneering pathways to graduation”, challenging traditional definitions of success and maintaining a healthy impatience with the status quo. We continue to assert that education needs to honour purpose and passion, creating pathways that are more flexible, more human, and more reflective of the world our students will help shape.
Across classrooms, residences, and leadership projects, our students, faculty and staff continue to ask not only “What is?” but “What could be?” This spirit is grounded in ISAK’s founding principles. It is lived in our community’s courage, empathy, wellbeing, and action. And this gives us hope that a more peaceful and sustainable future remains within reach.
With deep appreciation for our founders, supporters, colleagues, students and parents, I am grateful to play a part in ISAK’s story.
Returning students came back to campus to start the new school year, joined this time by a fresh group of new students who made our community even more diverse and vibrant. Classroom learning kicked off alongside outdoor education and short trips into Japanese culture. The friendships and experiences that come from boarding life stay with students long after they graduate.
We launched our Giving Tiers program to say thank you for the support we’ve received, and to help build stronger connections between students and supporters, and among supporters themselves. Each tier is named after a tree native to Nagano. It’s our way of recognizing everyone who believes in our students’ potential.
ISAK Insider, our student-run newspaper, published its 100th issue. Coming out every week, it’s become a fixture of campus life, capturing the ideas, events, and voices that make up our community.
On November 22, we welcomed over 200 people from the local community to campus for the ISAK International Culture Festival. It was our chance to thank our neighbors, who welcome our students so warmly all year round. Student-led workshops and performances showcased cultures from around the world, giving guests a real feel for what makes our school diverse. For students and staff alike, the day deepened our connection to Karuizawa as a second home.
Children aged 12 to 13 joined us for five days at Winter School 2025. Many were experiencing UWC ISAK for the first time, learning the basics of design thinking and leadership while hiking through the forest and ice skating together.
Acclaimed Japanese film director Hirokazu Kore-eda visited campus to speak to the whole school, after a Grade 12 student reached out directly to his office. Students from all kinds of backgrounds engaged him in conversation about empathy, storytelling, and social issues. That one student’s initiative sparked a wider sense of what’s possible across the school.
Outdoor education is a core part of our program, and in winter that means snow sports. Out in nature, students build resilience, responsibility, and respect for each other and the environment, while also sharpening teamwork, self-management, and everyday life skills.
Project Week is one of the highlights of our curriculum. Grade 11 students traveled across the globe to run their own projects. Project Nepal, now in its tenth year and one of our longest-running initiatives, continued its work on the ground. Other teams ran a first-aid clinic in Thailand and supported a school for refugee children in Malaysia.
UWC’s GoMAD award supports student-led projects tackling social issues around the world, and this year two of our students, one in Grade 12 and one in Grade 11, were recognized. Each launched a project in their home country (Uganda and Ethiopia) addressing environmental issues and the educational gaps caused by conflict. Their willingness to take action on challenges in their own communities reflects exactly what we hope students take away from their time here.
80 graduates from the Class of 2026, our tenth graduating class, took their next step forward, each carrying their own hopes, watched on by supporters, parents, and faculty. Graduation weekend also marked the launch of the ISAK Impact Awards, a new initiative celebrating the contributions of current students, alumni, and faculty to society. It was a fitting milestone, one that looked back on the year’s learning and activities while opening the door to what comes next.
Students get a taste of UWC ISAK Japan and our experience is often a different way of education. Our main program is the Summer School, which first started in 2011, but we also run a Winter School program (since 2020). In total, 208 students had the opportunity to engage with us through our Short Programs in 2022-23 and we are constantly exploring new horizons to expand access to UWC ISAK Japan education!
For 13-14 years old students
Since 2011, Summer School has pioneered the UWC ISAK Japan approach to education. Over 12 days in late July 2023, we welcomed 82 students from around the world to our campus in Karuizawa to explore leadership, culture, identity and more in a diverse environment. This year we had 40 nationalities represented and a team of 30 adults guide students through a life-changing experience. Summer School 2023 was rated with a 96% satisfaction level.
For 12-13 years old students
Winter School is our Short Program that was born during the pandemic but has now gained a secure place in our yearly offerings. During Winter School 48 students were able to experience the beauty of our snowy campus, extensive Outdoor Education and classes around leadership, diversity and taking action. Winter School 2023 received a 94% satisfaction level from the students.
Thank you, as always, for your generous support.
Diversity is at the heart of our community, not just in nationality but across socioeconomic backgrounds. We make this possible by providing roughly 70% of our students with need-based financial assistance, tailored to each family’s financial circumstances, that never need to be repaid. In FY2025 alone, Furusato Nozei donations supported financial assistance for around 60% of our student body. It’s thanks to your generosity, through Furusato Nozei and so many other forms of giving, that we’re able to sustain this kind of learning environment while continuing to grow and adapt our programs for the times. We’re sincerely grateful.
* IB Years fees cover costs related to the IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum and are borne by families separately from tuition.
** This year, we received an extraordinarily generous donation of private company shares to the Endowment Fund. To ensure the long-term sustainability of our financial assistance program, we will make every effort to contribute a fixed amount to the Endowment Fund each year.
Blue: Graduates (cumulative)
Green: Financial assistance recipients among Graduates (cumulative)
* Financial assistance recipients are students who received full or partial financial assistance through Furusato Nozei and other gifts.
This year, we launched the Pay It Forward Scholarship Fund 2025, a new fundraising initiative led primarily by parents and alumni. True to its name, the fund pools together gifts received by June each year to provide one incoming student with a full three-year high school scholarship the following academic year.
Though this was our first attempt, the fund got off to a strong start, kicking off with an event in Hong Kong in October 2025. Against a 2025 target of JPY 22 million, we’d reached JPY 16 million by April 2026, and the circle of support keeps growing.
Our first goal is simple: fully fund one scholar. From there, we hope to grow this circle of support into something that can sustain many more students for years to come.
To the parents and young alumni who embraced this initiative so early and so generously, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Our final phase of campus expansion is now underway. Having opened in 2014 with capacity for 150 students, the school will grow to around 250 over the coming years, allowing us to bring our education to more young people while strengthening the school’s long-term sustainability.
The plan includes a fifth dormitory with integrated faculty housing, along with a brand-new cafeteria. The Asama Building, which has served as our cafeteria up to now, will be reborn as a science building.
As of May 2026, our Founders and Catalyst Supporters have contributed JPY 590 million in donations and school bond support. We are deeply grateful for this generosity.
At the same time, with construction costs rising sharply, the project is likely to exceed its original budget. We humbly ask for your continued understanding and support as we work to bring this vision to life.
“My experience at UWC ISAK, living far from family in an unfamiliar culture, transformed me and built my capacity to engage with diverse values. The financial assistance program gave me the courage to take on this opportunity despite my anxieties and to throw myself fully into learning. If I had never come to UWC ISAK, my world would have been so much smaller. I want to keep expanding my potential and one day contribute to the development of education in Angola.”
“My experience here has been special and unforgettable in a way nothing before has been. Every day I meet new people and learn so much through dialogue, which brings me real joy. The outdoor education that this environment makes possible has been one of my most meaningful learnings. For me, coming from America, this school has given me people and experiences I would never otherwise have encountered. I am sincerely grateful to everyone who makes these opportunities possible.”
This year, we received a Legacy Gift from a donor who wished to remain anonymous. During their lifetime, they held a deep understanding of and interest in our school’s education, and we are deeply grateful that they chose to entrust their hopes to support future students in this way. Their gift will be carefully used as financial assistance funding to support the growth of each and every student.
In recent years, more supporters have shown interest in Legacy Giving as a way to pass their own hopes on to the next generation. We take everyone’s intentions to heart, and we’re committed to carrying them forward faithfully in our educational work ahead.
UWC ISAK’s journey has been sustained by the warm support of our Founders and Catalyst Supporters, to whom we extend our deepest gratitude.
We are also sincerely grateful to the many individuals and organizations who stand with us in so many ways, through Furusato Nozei and corporate Furusato Nozei, recurring gifts, financial assistance support, corporate partnership, pro bono services, and in-kind donations. Your generosity translates directly into the daily learning and growth of every one of our students.
Haruki Kamiyama Scholarship
Honjo Scholarship
Iuchi Scholarship
Makiko Suehiro Scholarship
Panetha Ott Scholarship
Shigeru Sato Scholarship
Teruko Honjo Scholarship
Tokarev Foundation Scholarship
YKK Holding Asia Scholarship
Canyon Capital Japan
Hitoshi Fukuda Family Scholarship
HSBC Group Scholarship
Takashi Oyagi Scholarship
ABLE INC.
Davis-UWC Scholars Program
The Nippon Foundation Scholarship
Ichigo Asset Management, Ltd.
Landwell Inc.
MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.
Tokyo Electron Ltd.
Rising Field Corporation
LIXIL Group Corporation
SECOM Co., Ltd.
airweave inc.
Morrison & Foerster LLP Registered Associated Offices of Ito & Mitomi
TMI Associates
Panasonic Corporation
McKinsey & Company Japan
Bain & Company, Inc
*Only supporters who meet certain criteria and have consented to be recognized are listed here.
The ISAK Impact Awards introduce and celebrate the contributions of UWC ISAK students, alumni, and staff to society. The awards shine a light on practices that embody a core UWC ISAK value, discerning what matters to you and to society, and taking action even in difficult circumstances.
In this inaugural year, entries spanned a wide range of initiatives, from expanding access to education and tackling environmental challenges to community building and creating a more inclusive society. A panel of external judges evaluated each project’s purpose, execution, and reach, along with how widely each video resonated and built empathy. At UWC ISAK, we cherish the ripple effect, the way one person’s action spreads outward and sparks new action in others.
The Evening School is a project led by Arunabh and his peers to bring learning opportunities to young people whose access to education has been restricted. The project currently provides computer science classes to Afghan girls who are barred from attending school under the Taliban government.
The spark came when Arunabh heard from an Afghan friend about the reality of being denied an education.
“There are students who want to learn but can’t. Once I knew that reality, I felt I had no choice but to act,” he recalls.
Going forward, the team aims to introduce internationally recognized curricula such as IGCSE and A-Levels, building an environment where students can continue learning toward university. The project has drawn international attention, and in 2025 Arunabh was invited to present his work at the High Level Political Forum at UN Headquarters.
See The Evening School video here.
Through repeated visits deep into the mountains of the Himalayas, Tsering witnessed a reality where healthcare and education are out of reach, and where many women and girls cannot speak openly about menstruation and continue to use unsanitary cloth.
“I saw girls my own age hiding their bodies in shame, silently enduring infections they could not tell anyone about. In that moment I thought, if I don’t act, nothing will change.”
From that conviction, Tsering launched the Women Empowerment Project in Grade 10, during her time at UWC ISAK, to deliver menstrual health education. She traveled to remote villages to run workshops on the menstrual cycle and safe hygiene practices, working alongside nurses to distribute reusable cloth pads and soap.
Since 2023, the project has spread to more than 15 villages, with essential menstrual supplies reaching over 1,500 women and girls. Some girls can now attend school even during their periods, and others have gained confidence simply from understanding their own bodies.
“When someone told me, ‘For the first time, I understood what was happening in my own body,’ I knew this work truly mattered.”
Tsering is the first winner in the alumni category.
See her Women’s Empowerment Project in Nepal video here.
Lucy began speaking out about environmental issues in 2020, after picking up 447 pieces of plastic litter from the roadside during a single run. Posting the experience on Facebook, she says she felt firsthand that art has the power to move people.
She went on to study animation at university. For her graduation work, she collected roughly 2,000 pieces of plastic waste, researched which companies’ products they came from, and created three animated films conveying their impact on waterways and the environment. Using stop-motion techniques, her work shows the reality of plastic waste polluting the world around us.
“I didn’t want people to just know about the plastic problem. I wanted them to think about who is creating it,” Lucy says.
Her films have screened at festivals around the world, winning the audience award at an international film festival in Marseille, France focused on science and social issues, and best film in the ultra-short category at a short film festival based in Milan, Italy. She has presented her work at an international human ecology conference in Belgium and run workshops for children at an elementary school in her native Canada. Through art, Lucy keeps posing questions to society.
UWC ISAK Japan’s alumni community of over 680 members represents 131 countries and territories, each striving to bring positive change around the globe.
Our alumni pursue higher education at Ivy League universities such as Yale, Princeton, Cornell, and Brown; leading institutions in their fields such as Oxford, the National University of Singapore, and the University of the Arts London; and top Japanese universities including the University of Tokyo, Waseda, Keio, and International Christian University (ICU). Graduates follow diverse paths, with many embracing gap years, volunteering, or entrepreneurial projects.
View the Board of Directors, Advisory Board, Statutory Auditors and Councils.
Chair
Lin Kobayashi
Auditors
Tony Insung Cha
Chair
Gen Miyazawa
Chair
Fumio Tateishi
Listed in alphabetical order
Mamoru Taniya*
Lin and Shigetoshi Kobayashi
Yuriko Takahashi
Kimiya Yamamoto
Masakazu Yanagisawa
Rika Aoi
Fumio Tateishi
Michiyo and Hidehiko Hayashi
Hiroko Kono
Hidehiro Imatsu*‡
Fumiko Ozawa (Kanenobu) ‡
Brian Nelson
Masahiro Koshiba*
Masaru Kojima
Einosuke Yoshino
Gen Kato
Takashi Inoue
Shotaro Tanaka
Takashi Murata ‡
Makoto Takano
Takeshi Natsuno
Hiroaki Mizutani
Shogo Kawada
Teruhide Sato
Kohei Matsuki
Nobuyuki Idei
Kakutaro Kitashiro
Tomoharu Inoue
Tomonori Ito
Kotaro Yamagishi
Heang Chhor
Eiichi Miyazawa
Amane Nakashima
Yasuro Koizumi
Ogawa Scholarship Foundation
Hideki Kinuhata
Ichiro Miyake
Ryusuke Honjo
Edward Suzuki
Yuichiro Sugahara
Haruhiro Tsujimoto
Shin Horie ‡
Ken Takayama
Koichi Saura
Ishibashi Foundation
Katsunori Sago ‡
Masakazu Iwakura
Haruki Kamiyama*Masatada Kobayashi
Kazutoshi Kobayashi
Mariko and Jacques Magnan
Kaji Family
Shigeru Sato*
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
Taizo Hasebe
Shinichiro Okumoto
Junko Fukutake*
Hitoshi Honda*
Terumi and Yojiro Koizumi
Yasushi Ando*
Hiroyuki Arita
Mikiko and Toshio Iwasaki
Yoko Takeda
Noriko Yamaguchi
Seiji Yasubuchi
Shinji Kimura
Shusaku Minoda*
Toshio Himuro
Nonaka Institute of Knowledge
Hoppy Mina Co., Ltd.
Okada Memorial Club
Ichiro Kawanabe
Shuhei Morofuji
Suguru Miyake*
United Managers Japan Inc.
Akiyuki Nagase
Yoko Takai
Makiko Suehiro
Keizo Fujitake
Shinji Yoshizawa
Koki Uchiyama
Yasuhiro Wakebayashi
Mei Yu
Takahisa Fujitake
Jun Furukawa
Toru Shimada*
Nobuo Sayama
Hitoshi Kashiwaki
Ayako Yoshida (Masako and Hiroshi Sasaki)
Yi Shi
Paul and Maki McInerney
Takashi Kawamura
United States-Japan Foundation
Yasushi Fujita
Muneaki Masuda*
Maki and Yasu Hatakeyama
Masahisa Ikeda
Tsuguhiko Kadokawa
Ken Aoyama
Yasumasa Manabe
Takanori Nagasaka
Naruatsu Baba
Satoru Oshita
Xiaolei Sun
Yew Lin Goh
YKK Holding Asia Pte Ltd.
Yoshiaki Fujimori
Junko Hamamoto (Mori)
Haruo Nakamura
Akira Kosugi
Genki Shiota
Tamotsu Kosano
Ryo Ohira
Riso Kyoiku Iwasa Foundation
Hattori International Scholarship Foundation
Ryo Abe
Takahiro Sugawara
Hiroyuki Watanabe
Hikaru and Michiyo Shimura**
Shinichi Yamamoto
Yuki and Makoto Arima
Koichiro Hashimoto
Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.
Mariko and Tatsuya Hayashi
Byking Inc.
Ken Tamagawa
Kenji and Jun Govaers
Yusuke Umeda
Riku Sugie
Isao Ogata
Hideki Kaneko
Yuki Ikejiri
Hideo, Misako and Fumie Iuchi**
Yoshikazu Tanaka
Michikatsu Ochi
MEDIA DO Co., Ltd.
Shinichiro Watari**
Ichigo Asset Management, Ltd.
Sotaro Ishii
Kana and Hiro Yoshikawa
Katsuya Uenoyama
Tomoya and Miyako Nishikawa
Haruko Kato
Haruki Satomi
Ronna Chao
Mihoko Isogai and Mark Chan
The Chiu Family
Masahiko Kono
Norio Otsuka
Yoshihiro Iwakami
Yuzo Kumakiri
Hiroko Kamiyama
Mariko Shimizu
Sonoko and Hideaki Arai
Hideki Yoshimura**
Shinsuke Sakimoto
Kunihiko Arai
* Honorary Founder ‡ Contribution made through Goldman Sachs Gives ** Honorary Catalyst Supporter
Faculty - Outdoor Education
Faculty - University Advising
Faculty - Outdoor Education
Faculty - Academic Support
Faculty - Mathematics
Faculty - Academic Support
Staff - School Nurse
Staff - Short Program Director
Staff - Facilities
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