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XICA will be speaking at Climbers X 2026, Japan's largest conference for changemakers, alongside Kazuto Ataka, author of "Start with the Issue."

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XICA will be speaking at Climbers X 2026, Japan's largest conference for changemakers, alongside Kazuto Ataka, author of "Start with the Issue."

XICA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yoshiaki Hirao; hereinafter referred to as XICA) will be speaking at "Climbers X 2026," to be held on June 9, 2026, with Kazuto Ataka, author of "Start with the Issue" (Eiji Publishing, 2010), Professor at the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University, and Senior Strategist at LINE Yahoo! Japan Corporation, in a session titled "Will AI Lead Us to an 'Age of Hope'? The Evolution of Decision Making Brought About by Data x AI."

About "Climbers X 2026"

Climbers is Japan's largest online conference bringing together change-makers who are driving BX (Business Transformation). It offers special lectures on life from top performers in various fields who have overcome numerous obstacles. What did these Climbers (= challengers) aim for, and what motivated them to continue challenging many obstacles? Rather than just business success stories and tips, we explore the mindset and emotions that drive them, and think about the essence of the power to keep moving forward.

XICA will be sponsoring and speaking at this conference in order to contribute to the further dissemination and development of data-driven marketing.

https://eight-event.8card.net/lp/climbers/2026

About the session in which XICA will be speaking

With the rapid evolution of generative AI, we live in an era where any "answer" can be obtained instantly. However, in the business world, no matter how fast the AI ​​output is or how precise the data is, if the starting "question (issue)" is inappropriate, there is a risk of accelerating in the wrong direction. Precisely because data and AI are permeating society, the ability of humans to have a firm sense of purpose and to discern "what should be asked" is being put to the test.

In this session, we welcome Kazuto Ataka, author of the timeless classic "Start with the Issue," who continues to envision Japan's future from a multifaceted perspective. We will engage in a discussion focusing on the "power of questioning" in the age of AI. We invite you to look forward to a thinking approach that goes beyond simply using AI as an "efficiency tool" and fully utilizes it as a "weapon" to maximize human potential, as well as a "special lecture on life" for business people navigating uncertain times.

Session Overview

  • Date and time:Tuesday, August 2026, 6 9:17-20:17
  • venue :Tokyo Big Sight South Halls 1 & 2
  • theme:Will AI lead us to an "era of hope"? ️The evolution of decision-making brought about by data x AI.

Speakers/panelist:

Kazuto Ataka

Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University; Senior Strategist, LINE & Yahoo! Japan Corporation

Founding Director and Skill Definition Committee Chairperson of the Data Scientist Association. Representative Director of the General Incorporated Association, Future Worth Preserving. After working in product and business development and brand revitalization at McKinsey, he joined Yahoo! in 2008. He served as CSO (Chief Strategy Officer) for 10 years from 2012, and has held his current position since 2022. He began educational and research activities at Keio University SFC (Shonan Fujisawa Campus) in 2016, and has held his current position since the fall of 2018. Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University. His publications include "Hope in the Valley of the Wind" (Eiji Publishing, 2025), "Shin-Nihon" (NewsPicks Publishing, 2020), and "Start with the Issue" (Eiji Publishing, 2010), among others.

Yoshiaki Hirao

President and CEO of XICA Corporation

He graduated from the Faculty of Policy Management at Keio University. Having experienced the bankruptcy of his father's company firsthand, he discovered the potential of statistical analysis, which he encountered during his university years, to provide management support. In 2012, he founded XICA Co., Ltd. He has supported over 300 companies, primarily enterprises, and as a "data science firm that creates a business growth spiral," he has contributed to highly reproducible business growth. His publications include "The Thinking Method of Data Analysis to Increase Sales with Targeted Attention: 6 Steps of 'Data x Intuition' for Continuous Success" (Cross Media Publishing).

About us

XICA Co., Ltd.

XICA Co., Ltd. is a data science firm whose purpose is to "create a just world where talent can flourish." Its greatest strength lies in the "intelligence of its human resources," comprised of leading data scientists, researchers, and strategy consultants from Japan and abroad. XICA is a professional group that supports the sustainable growth of companies through a scientific approach.

Service Information (AI Decision Engine "XICA")

XICA AI Decision Engine

We implement an "AI decision-making engine" that transforms corporate decision-making into organizational knowledge, enabling consistently winning management. Leveraging highly accurate data science, we unravel complex business mechanisms and provide end-to-end support, from "data semantics" to "assetizing organizational knowledge." Combined with our proprietary AI platform, "XICA*AI Platform," our high level of applicability provides a management infrastructure that enables the structuring of organizations into "consistently winning organizations" with asset value and reproducibility.

  • Brand name:XICA
  • URL:https://xica.net/
  • Overview of services offered:Providing decision support systems, next-generation management operating systems, and strategic consulting based on data science.
  • Major achievements:We have a proven track record of providing data science-based decision support to major national clients in leading consumer goods, food, retail, telecommunications, and finance sectors in Japan.

*XICA and the XICA name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of XICA Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries.
*Other company names and product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.

Inquiries regarding this press release

  • XICA Co., Ltd. Public Relations Department:Kunimatsu
  • TEL:03-6380-9897
  • E-MAIL:pr@xica.net