The Diversity and Inclusion Lab has successfully concluded all six sessions!
From April to June 2025, SOLIT collaborated with UNIVERSITY of CREATIVITY (hereafter, UoC) to host a six-part program titled Diversity and Inclusion Lab – Exploring and Practicing Multilayered Diversity.
This program welcomed diverse inspirers—people who provide new insights to participants and the venue—and fostered ongoing dialogue among participants to collectively rethink what “D&I means to me.”
In this article, we look back on the learnings from all six sessions. The report is written by Nao, an intern at SOLIT and one of the inspirers who participated in every session.
※For session summaries, please refer to Diversity and Inclusion Lab – Exploring and Practicing Multilayered Diversity.
Session 1: Rethinking “What is D&I?”
The memorable first session was themed Finding Signals: Spotting Future Signals of D&I. As the starting point for this six-part journey, it involved workshops to check how each participant perceives the current state of D&I and their visions of its future.
The program began with a “check-in” exercise to ease tension. In the unique UoC venue, participants walked around and engaged in an exercise to “find a place where you feel comfortable.” This proved highly effective, gently dissolving tension and sparking natural conversations.
Following this informal start, Misaki Tanaka, CEO of SOLIT, gave a lecture covering perspectives such as diversity, intersectionality, privilege, and the reproduction of issues, highlighting how D&I intersects with politics, economy, entertainment, and all social domains.
Then, facilitated by inspirer Kensuke Ishii, participants wrote down objective facts that influenced current D&I on sticky notes. Together, they created a timeline map of D&I’s past, present, and future, sharing awareness of challenges and hopes for the future.
Session 2: Harmful Stereotypes and Characteristics of Japanese Media
The second session was titled Nothing About Us Without Us. We welcomed Keiko Ichikawa from UN Women Japan as a guest speaker. Based on rich survey data, the session encouraged participants to reconsider the issues hidden beneath assumptions we often take for granted.
Katy, CEO of Valuable 500—a global network for disability inclusion—and Maciej joined to deepen the discussion through videos and conversations about representation.
The problem is when the problem itself is unseen
After theme confirmation and guest introductions, a short video showed actors being typecast into roles based on appearance, gender, or race regardless of their talent or experience. This vividly demonstrated the importance of awareness about stereotypes. The lecture continued by analyzing examples containing stereotypes, and impressive research results were shared showing that D&I can be an effective business strategy.
During the workshop, participants voiced the need for “time to discuss,” doubts about the validity of opinions, and “unease without experts.” These “meta-level” concerns suggested that finding solutions rests heavily on corporate and staff capacity, within an unstable environment.
Session 3: Critically Examining Diversity
The third session was themed Explore Social Transformation: Critically Questioning Diversity Promotion. We invited Koichi Iwabuchi, Emeritus Visiting Professor at the University of Technology Sydney, to speak.
A deep discussion emerged about the dangers of speaking about D&I only from a positive viewpoint (the risks of “happy talk”), prompting participants to rethink existing ways of understanding D&I.
”Convenient” Diversity and Hidden Minorities
Mr. Iwabuchi’s talk began with a definition of diversity and posed deeply fundamental questions to the participants. One particularly striking point was the issue that, when the word “diversity” is used, there is often a simultaneous act of “containment.” Diversity that enriches “us” is tolerated and embraced in the name of harmony, while those perceived as a threat are swiftly excluded and made invisible. His remarks made me aware of the danger that it is always “us” at the center who decide from which position to take action.
The word “diversity” can sometimes erase the reality of historically entrenched structural discrimination and inequality, leading to a tendency to discuss it only in feel-good terms. Personally, his reference to “the younger generation’s lack of historical awareness” resonated deeply with me. It reminded me of the importance of learning history, and of the fact that my own privilege of living in safety had caused me to overlook history and view these issues as someone else’s problem. This session was a valuable opportunity to reflect on that.
Session 4: Design by Whom and for Whom?
The fourth session’s theme was What Should I Have Done at That Time?: Practicing Participatory and Inclusive Design. The main focus was a workshop. Using SOLIT’s methods of inclusive and participatory design as examples, participants experienced firsthand the difference between involving stakeholders in design and stakeholders having decision-making power and leading proactively.
The point is not simply to include those directly affected in the discussion, but to critically examine who holds the decision-making power.
Misaki Tanaka, the representative of SOLIT, spoke about the necessity and importance of design.
One of the most striking points in her talk was her perspective on the "right to design." She explained that while people often associate design with superficial elements such as advertising or fashion, these are merely the results of design. Behind them lies a deeper structure—questions such as "Who is making the decisions?" and "How are these decisions being made?"—which are closely tied to the broader power structures of society, including "Who holds the rights?"
She then introduced a case study from SOLIT’s participation in Vancouver Fashion Week. She explained that the entire process—from the open call for models and other participants to the final fashion show—was carried out through the practice of inclusive design. Moreover, every piece showcased in the event was created as a direct solution to challenges faced by the individuals involved.
Workshop: Experiencing the Difference
After the presentations, participants split into groups for a workshop using a real case study on workplace reform from Microsoft. The goal was to design solutions using the following two approaches and then compare the outcomes:
１．Inclusive Design
People directly affected by the issue (stakeholders) join the discussion, and the whole group collaboratively proposes measures to solve the problem.
２．Participatory Design
The structure is such that stakeholders hold the decision-making authority. In each group, an Inspierer (stakeholder) leads the discussion.
What was particularly striking during the exercise was that when a person from a “different standpoint” (someone absent in a highly homogeneous group) was present, even in a workplace-related case study, the group paused to reconsider the very premise of the discussion. For example, younger lead users expressed skepticism about the necessity of coming to the office at all, and discussions arose about what kind of office environment would actually make people want to commute.
In the first approach, Inclusive Design, the focus tended to be primarily on “what difficulties” the stakeholders face. In contrast, in the second approach, Participatory Design, more personal and authentic opinions and perspectives from the stakeholders emerged, reflecting their lived experiences.
Session 5: Recognizing D&I through Buddhist Thought – New Discoveries from the Abstract
Session five’s theme was Japan! Unlock New Possibilities! Taking a different approach, we invited Ryugen Matsunami, head priest of the experimental temple Hotoji, via online. Comparing Western and Eastern thinking processes, we explored the roots of values ingrained in Japanese people.
“Individual” versus “Individual” relationships, with compassion and dignity
What left a strong impression on me was the comparison between Western and Eastern perspectives—specifically, the Western, realist-based view of diversity as “coexisting, clearly categorized groups” versus the Eastern perspective of “relationships between oneself and others.”
In the Western approach, categories are defined, and new classifications continue to emerge. Alongside this, we accumulate new concepts as knowledge. For me, D&I had always carried a somewhat academic image—something I was studying from the outside. As a result, I sometimes felt a lack of tangible connection to it. However, after hearing this talk, I was reminded that what truly matters is the interaction between the subject and myself—how I relate to it and how I wish to engage with it. This relational aspect holds profound significance in understanding D&I.
The atmosphere was different this time: participants paused note-taking, gazed into space, or tapped their knees, absorbed in reflection.
Session 6: Sharing the Next Steps and Pathways to Realization
The final session, Then, What is the First Step for Our Society?, wrapped up the series. We collectively reviewed all sessions, then shared concrete plans for what companies and individuals can do next. Participants presented slides they had prepared as homework, sharing actions they planned to take in their companies or personally.
Reflection and sharing their next action
During this session, we projected slides that participants had prepared in advance as homework, in which each person shared what actions they planned to take within their own organization after completing this seminar, and what they themselves could contribute. The range of actions was inspiring—from initiatives like “sharing what I’ve learned with my colleagues” to ambitious moves such as “changing the overall direction of an existing business.”
It was an exciting and energizing time, made possible precisely because people from different industries were coming together. I also loved how the action plans and challenges to existing corporate practices fit together like puzzle pieces, sparking moments of “Then why don’t we do this together?”—true moments of collaboration in the making.
After Six Sessions
The six sessions ended quickly, and my mind is still processing all the information.
Through this seminar, we questioned D&I itself, experienced it, and reconsidered it from philosophical perspectives—looking at it multi-dimensionally.
While all the topics were important, what left the strongest impression on me was the discussion about looking at diversity through a critical lens—the idea that we often celebrate diversity when it is convenient for us, yet exclude what makes us uncomfortable. I realized that I myself have done this unconsciously, and that it is a tendency often seen in younger generations who lack a deep sense of history. This became a valuable moment for self-reflection.The insights and possibilities we each gained here are not meant to remain as abstract theories; they are meant to connect seamlessly with the societies and communities we belong to. When we feel uncertain or lose our sense of direction in our D&I efforts, I hope we can remember this seminar and keep taking steady, deliberate action. As participants bring these learnings back to their respective companies, I believe such discussions will ripple outward into society.As a SOLIT intern and a young person with lived experience, I was especially grateful to have taken part in this space where professionals from diverse industries could engage in open and curious dialogue.
SOLIT will continue to create opportunities for both learning and practice in D&I. If you are interested, please feel free to reach out. We look forward to connecting with fellow explorers who will continue this journey with us.