#Japan #Tokyo #Konica Minolta #Tōritsu AI #DX Award

Konica Minolta Japan's 'Tōritsu AI' Achievement

In a remarkable venture aimed at modernizing education, Konica Minolta Japan in collaboration with the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education has developed an innovative AI service named 'Tōritsu AI'. This initiative plays a pivotal role in Tokyo DX Award 2025, where it was celebrated with the prestigious Governor’s Award for demonstrating excellence in digital transformation within educational frameworks. The award ceremony took place on June 25, 2025, in Tokyo, marking a significant milestone in the realm of educational technology and AI integration.

Overview of 'Tōritsu AI'

'Tōritsu AI', targeted at all metropolitan schools, is a generative AI service designed to nurture the skills and capabilities necessary for students in the evolving AI landscape. Launched in May 2025 after pilot testing in 2023-2024 at selected research schools, this service is now available in 256 public schools across Tokyo. Leveraging its extensive expertise in educational technology and AI infrastructure, Konica Minolta has created a robust educational AI platform that approximately 160,000 users, including students and teachers, can use safely and effectively—taking just about one month from order to deployment.

This service is equipped with features that assist learning activities and school administration, ensuring that real-time support can be provided seamlessly. To secure a safe environment, student inputs are not utilized for the AI's training, which is coupled with a filtering function to prevent inappropriate interactions. Furthermore, 'Tōritsu AI' meets or exceeds specifications with the latest generative models, such as GPT 4o-mini, facilitating rapid and cost-effective responses, thus enhancing overall usability.

The Tokyo DX Award Initiative

The Tokyo DX Award honors outstanding digital initiatives across various departments under Tokyo's jurisdiction. This program was established to foster a culture that encourages innovation and improvement in productivity and citizen services through digital transformation. The 2025 awards saw 43 submissions, including collaborations with policy-related organizations, showcasing the collective efforts toward enhanced digital utilization in public services.

Insights from Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education

Incorporating generative AI into educational contexts is a crucial topic for stakeholders in the education sector. There is a recognition of the gap in speed regarding AI integration between the private sector and educational institutions. Given the prevalence of generative AI in society surrounding students, immediate actions to adapt these advancements in education are critical. With a focus on expanding 'Tōritsu AI', the Board of Education aims to continuously update the functionalities based on feedback from educators, striving for engaging and relevant educational experiences that serve both students' learning and teachers’ administrative needs.

Konica Minolta Japan's Commitment to Educational Sector

Konica Minolta Innovation has been committed to providing learning opportunities tailored to students with diverse preferences and support the creation of individualized education through its learning support service 'tomoLinks', which has been available since 2019. By integrating 'tomoLinks' into schools, education can be transformed into a more data-driven and digitally enabled platform, aiming to maximize every student’s potential. Moreover, they have developed an 'AI Utilization Implementation Idea Collection', which they distribute free to educational boards and schools nationwide—this tool is designed to improve educational quality and alleviate teacher workloads.

The generative AI features of 'tomoLinks' enhance cooperative and research-based learning through interactive dialogue AIs, making the educational process more engaging. Schools participating in the trial program have reported significant benefits in deepening students' thinking and expanding their ideas. These innovative solutions are in accordance with the Ministry of Education guidelines, ensuring that both teachers and children under 13 can confidently utilize dialogue-based generative AI in classrooms.

In conclusion, Konica Minolta Japan's continuous efforts to intertwine technology with education symbolize a forward-thinking approach to tackling ongoing challenges in the educational landscape. Their initiatives, including 'Tōritsu AI' and 'tomoLinks', are testament to a commitment to enhancing the quality of education and the overall operational efficiency in schools.

For further information, visit the official Konica Minolta Japan site and explore their significant contributions to education and society.