“Inochi Declaration” Announced at Expo 2025 Osaka–Kansai, Featuring Castalia’s Digital Learning Action Plan

“Let us overcome injustice through the power of technology-driven education, so that everyone can learn with hope and believe in the future.”

On October 11, the “Declaration for Life”, formulated by the Inochi Conference, was officially announced at the Festival Station venue of Expo 2025 Osaka–Kansai. The event attracted more than 700 attendees.
As part of the action plans introduced to support the declaration, a proposal by Satoshi Yamawaki, CEO of Castalia Co., Ltd., showcasing the company's efforts to support education through digital learning, was featured.

1. What is the Inochi Declaration?

The Inochi Declaration is an international call to action launched in conjunction with Expo 2025 Osaka–Kansai. It aims to promote a society where every life is valued and no one is left behind.

The declaration was created by the Inochi Forum, a platform dedicated to the respect for all lives—regardless of age, gender, nationality, or occupation. To help implement the declaration, a comprehensive action plan was released, categorizing practical proposals under five themes: Protecting, Nurturing, Connecting, Sensing, and Knowing life, all aimed at building a sustainable society.

2. Castalia’s Involvement and Its Significance

Castalia has conducted pilot studies and educational programs in countries such as Kenya, Iraq, and Côte d'Ivoire, focusing on digital learning and programming education for children. These initiatives involve developing localized curricula aligned with national education standards and providing remote learning support via tablets—advancing inclusive educational access with a “leave no one behind” ethos.
As a result of these efforts, Castalia’s proposal was included in the Inochi Declaration’s action plan.

Full text of Castalia’s proposal featured in the action plan:

Declaration 3-1
Overcome poverty traps through learning, eliminate discrimination and inequality, and create a society where everyone can live safely and meaningfully.

3-1-3
Break the cycle of poverty through education, eliminate discrimination and inequality, and ensure that everyone can live in safety.

Human history is a history of struggling against injustice. War, poverty, discrimination, disaster, and inequality—all have continuously cast shadows on humanity’s journey. Among the many possible approaches, education is the most reliable means of breaking this chain of injustice.

However, there are people whom conventional education cannot reach. Children unable to attend classrooms, regions suffering from teacher shortages, areas where textbooks cannot be distributed, and places where learning is disrupted by civil war or disaster—these realities are all too common. Particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, population growth has rapidly increased the number of school-age children, far outpacing the ability of traditional infrastructure—classrooms, teachers, and especially budgets—to keep up, both physically and institutionally.

How can technology respond to these challenges? Since its founding, Castalia has been promoting digital learning worldwide, including in Japan. In recent years, we have launched projects in African countries using the mobile learning service GOOCUS, delivered via smartphones, to overcome regional and economic disparities in educational opportunities. Notably, GOOCUS Edge—developed for regions with unstable internet connectivity—allows users to pre-download learning materials and study offline. This system enables the construction of sustainable and scalable learning environments even in refugee camps, rural schools, and areas where learning has been disrupted by conflict or disaster.

A girl who participated in a programming class in Kenya expresses her gratitude to the staff

A female pupil taking a programming test at a primary school in Basra, Iraq

Castalia approaches technology with a belief in human goodness. The organization believe that technology can protect human dignity and become a means to overcome social injustices. By fusing education with technology, we can transcend the limits of traditional education systems and open the “doors of possibility” to people who have previously been deprived of learning opportunities.

For example, in Kenya and Ethiopia, one of the main reasons girls drop out of school is the restrictions on education opportunities due to economic hardship or gender roles. In these contexts, parental influence is critical—parents often determine their children’s futures. If parents do not prioritize education, children’s futures are abruptly cut off. However, if an environment is created where learning can continue at home with just a smartphone, education continuity becomes possible, helping to prevent the interruption of learning. Furthermore, digital training for teachers and the standardization of educational materials can help improve the quality of education.

Of course, not all problems can be solved so simply. There are times when people feel powerless against harsh realities. Yet, we must hold onto the hope that there is something we can do. Delivering learning opportunities to those placed amid injustice, and supporting them in gaining the power to choose their futures by their own will—this reflects Castalia’s mission, driven by both technology and philosophy, and represents an ongoing challenge.

The Inochi Forum resonates deeply with Castalia’s vision and will continue to work with diverse organizations to break the cycle of injustice through the power of education and technology, aiming to build a society where everyone can “learn and live in peace.”

3. Looking Ahead

Building on the Inochi Declaration, the Inochi Forum will now move into the implementation phase of its multi-year action plan. Castalia will continue to contribute to the realization of this vision through practical work in the field of education and technology.

■About Castalia Co., Ltd.

Castalia Co., Ltd. operates with the mission of “solving social issues through education and IT.” The company develops and provides the Goocus mobile learning platform, along with original programming education materials. Its business spans not only across Japan but also in the Middle East and Africa, contributing to sustainable development by expanding access to education and fostering ICT human resources.
URL: https://en.castalia.co.jp/