Awards, research and public dialogue
Through three areas of work, Tokoyo Futures Foundation invites society to consider the futures that overcoming ageing and death would bring.
一
Award and fund
We are planning an award to recognize people who take on this question, and a fund that will entrust resources to generations far in the future.
二
Research and education
We study the three questions through philosophy and the arts as well as through policy and business, and explore them together with young people.
三
Presentation and dialogue
We make our research findings and creative works widely available and discuss shared questions with people from different fields and perspectives.
一
Together with companies and funders, we are designing ways to ensure that funding goes not only to the research and development of technologies for overcoming ageing and death, but also to research and artistic work that considers their impact on society.
We are planning an award to recognize people engaged in research and artistic work toward a society that respects different choices about ageing and death.
As one of the foundation’s activities after its establishment, we are planning a fund that will entrust resources, and the right to decide how they are used, to generations far in the future.
The fund is an initiative for considering coexistence with regard to ageing and death, not only among people living today but also in relation to future generations.
The award and the fund are at the planning stage. Their timing and structure will be announced when decided.
二
Our research addresses three questions: the state of science, changes in culture, and visions of a possible society. Findings are compiled in our annual report each April.
We take stock of the state of science through dialogue with people engaged in research and development in Japan and abroad. The foundation does not itself carry out technological research and development.
This research explores possible changes in culture, in areas such as views of life and death, happiness and the shape of families. Reading debates in philosophy, religion and sociology, as well as myths and stories, we trace what people have hoped for, and what they have feared, in overcoming ageing and death. Through stories, experiential exhibitions and workshops, we depict possible futures and observe where people’s thinking wavers and how it changes.
This research imagines the society we ought to have and translates it into institutions and businesses. We develop indicators to measure social change and survey public attitudes. We examine ethical, legal and social issues, and propose institutions in which different choices are respected, along with forms of business that lead toward that future. We also share our insights with companies and government on request.
It is young people and future generations who are most affected by social change. In the seminar, young people, mostly in their twenties, develop their own questions through philosophy and the arts as well as through policy and business. They study, produce their own work and critique one another’s. Selected work is included in the annual report. The first cohort began in autumn 2026.
三
Each April, we present the findings of the foundation’s research together with selected work from the seminar. The first presentation is planned for April 2027, when the foundation is to be established.
In the future, we plan to create large-scale works and hold exhibitions. For now, you can view the works our founder, Akihiko Shimoyama, has created to date.
Once a year, people from different fields and perspectives gather to discuss shared questions in depth. The first salon took place on 4 November 2026.
We will invite researchers, business leaders, and people in policy and culture from around the world to Japan. Over several days of discussion and site visits, we will decide on our initiatives for the year ahead.
Past event
11
.
04
Wed 4 November 2026, from 13:00 (doors open 12:30)
SPACE NIO (2F), Nikkei Inc. Tokyo Head Office · By invitation
ALT+ Longevity Salon Day 0