At SOLIT, we continue our work by engaging in daily dialogue with those who lead and experience DE&I across a wide range of fields. One reality we have felt again and again is this: even as the word “diversity” becomes widely recognised, the people closest to the work often find themselves exhausted and isolated.
Systems have increased. Training programmes have grown. Risk management frameworks have strengthened. And yet, very few practitioners feel they can say, “We are truly moving forward with confidence.” As we continued to listen to these experiences, a question began to form within us:
Do we have the language—not for filling checkboxes, but for facing the relationships themselves?
It was while holding this question that we created a Bilingual DE&I White Paper ZINE Beyond Checkboxes. Rather than another HOW-TO or set of “correct answers,” we wanted a book that allows people who are constantly shaken in the field to pause and think together. With that intention, we began assembling each page.。
In this article, we hope to share:
- Why this whitepaper ZINE was needed
- What questions gave rise to its creation
- And who we hope will receive it
We would be grateful if you stayed with us until the end.
The Fatigue Created by the Search for the “Right Answer”
In DE&I practice, people are often placed in positions where they are expected to find the one correct answer:
the ideal expression for gender,
the perfect model for supporting people with disabilities,
the flawless training curriculum.
The more sensitive the topic, the more natural—indeed the more sincere—it is to want to avoid mistakes.
But what often arises is a state of searching for the right answer to the right answer. Once caught in that maze, filling checkboxes becomes the goal,
and relationships and dialogue between people are left behind.
As we note in the ZINE, DE&I in Japan cannot be described merely as “advanced” or “lagging behind.”
What we need now is a perspective that redefines DE&I from within Japan’s own cultural soil— its language, and its deep sensibilities around relationships. Much of the fatigue we have witnessed stems from the friction between imported frameworks and the realities of Japanese workplaces.
Language and Perspectives That Fit the Japanese Context
Japan has long valued relationality.
Expressions like okagesama, otagaisama, and en reflect a rich awareness of invisible connections.
Japan has long valued relationality.
Expressions like okagesama, otagaisama, and en reflect a rich awareness of invisible connections.
Yet discussions of DE&I often begin with Western-style categorisation—labels, tags, attributes—and in those structures, the natural “ambiguity” and “fluidity” of real relationships become difficult to see. In this whitepaper, we centre precisely this relational sensibility, framing DE&I as something to be re-examined from the perspective of Japanese lived experience.
This is not about “Japan-centric exceptionalism,” but about moving from translation to re-weaving—
so that we do not lose what is most essential as we move forward.
Because Checklists Cannot Create Change, We Chose Questions
The title Beyond Checkboxes carries the lived reality of our entire team. There is a sense of relief that comes from turning things into HOW-TOs and checklists— clear answers feel safe. But there is also so much that slips through the cracks of those tidy boxes:
- pain
- hesitation
- loneliness
- faint voices
- unnoticed forms of harm
- subtle distortions in relationships
And within those overlooked spaces, the seeds of change are often waiting.
That is why we chose to create not a whitepaper of answers,
but a whitepaper of questions— to think alongside those in the field.
As we write in the whitepaper itself:
This is not a book in which experts present the correct solutions. It is a book that shares questions from fellow practitioners..
To Those Who Cannot Let Go of Their “Energy Drinks”
We have met many DE&I practitioners who quietly say:
“I’m the one talking about diversity and wellbeing…
and yet I’m the most exhausted.”
This whitepaper was created for people exactly like them. Not to keep running on metaphorical energy drinks, but to offer a form of quiet energy— a way to return to one’s own rhythm and inner grounding.。
This is also our own experience. As we describe in the afterword, we too have been on the verge of breaking many times, but continued by supporting one another and returning again to the questions that matter.
About the paper and How to Order
『Beyond Checkboxes』is available in both print and digital (Kindle) editions.
- Size: H240×W171mm
- Pages: Approx. 130 (Bilingual: Japanese & English)
- Prices: ¥4,500 (tax included)
- Shipping begins: January 2026(sequential dispatch)
- Print edition: Ships once in stock
- Kindle edition: Voice-reader compatible, coming soon
Whether as support for struggling practitioners,
as a starting point for team dialogue,
or as a way to recover your own pace,
we hope you will welcome this ZINE in the way that feels right to you.
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 3rd — the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. On this day, when the world renews its attention to disability and inclusion, we are releasing Beyond Checkboxes.
We may never possess perfect answers.
But we can always pick up better questions.
A single small question may support someone in tomorrow’s workplace. A single conversation may shift the atmosphere of a whole organisation.
We may be small in power—
but we are not powerless.
With that belief, we offer this whitepaper to you.
May you continue, in your own words and your own context,
to ask the questions that matter.