Kan Hiroshi Suzuki is a pioneer of the promotion of active learning in Japan. He currently serves as Ministerial Aide, Chief Policy Officer to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in Japan. Prior to this, Kan served as Minister of State at MEXT for two terms, where he focused on education, medical treatment, sports and culture, science and technology innovation, and IT policy.

As a member of Japan’s House of Councilors, Kan held various posts such as Director of Constitution Research Council of the House of Councilors, Secretary-General of the Nonpartisan Assembly Federation of Sports Promotion, Secretary-General of the Bid Assembly Federation of Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics 2020, and Secretary-General of the Nonpartisan Assembly Federation of Culture and Art Promotion, and was a member of the UNESCO association in Japan.

Kan has cultivated many young entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs at the Suzukan School of Young Member’s Development since 1995. To accelerate the building of human resources and society, he established the Institute of Social Emergence in 2012. In August 2016, Kan carried out a workshop with the East-West Center in Hawaii for 80 high school students from Hiroshima prefecture as a representative of Japan Innovative Schools Network supported by OECD.

Kan received his bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Tokyo in 1986. He holds professorships at both the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo, and the Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University. He has also served as a visiting researcher at the University of Sydney, part-time lecturer in policy studies at Chuo University, and associate professor at Keio University’s Faculty of Environment and Information Studies.