The metaverse has been an important topic in Japan for a while now. Toward the end of this year, the university of Tokyo will provide a range of educational programs to be held in the metaverse. Known as Todai, the University of Tokyo is believed to be one of the most prestigious universities in the world. It was founded in 1877 and now has five campuses and 10 departments, including the engineering department that has announced a new project that will see the metaverse as the vehicle for its educational programs.
We also know that Todai is not the only university in the metaverse, but Arizona State University is also using the metaverse to give its students a complete educational offering with access to events in sports, arts, and entertainment, and Nfts as well.
A program that is apparently more technically developed than the one presented by Todai, which for now focuses only on education, outreach, and job opportunities for its students. Still, it remains an innovative project that will be probably followed by interesting enhancements and improvements. Just as important as Ethereum’s commitment to the academic world, with the cryptocurrency giving $750,000 in research through its foundation-Bitcoin has also shown sensitivity to social issues, especially in critical areas of the planet despite the not easy time for the market.
Japanese companies are trying to increase the number of women joining their programs. There will also be a strong push to encourage more women to pursue engineering degrees. This is all caused by the lack of female access to engineering. The Japanese University project is aimed at filling the need for skilled and specialized workers in Japan’s evolving advanced technologies and digital transformation. Technological improvement is taking place at a time when the decentralized ecosystem has spread to all fields, including finance and education.
According to a report in the local press The Asahi Shimbun, the courses will be aimed at high school students and working adults. Todai University and engineering graduate schools will be in charge of the Metaverse programs. At the end of the courses, a certificate will be issued attesting their achievement. University officials also pointed out that studying in the metaverse will provide a platform for any person, regardless of social status, age, or gender, to learn engineering and information science knowledge.
Japan is one of the world’s largest economies and a technological power thus distinguishing itself from its competitors because of its entry into the metaverse. For now, the University of Tokyo did not mention cryptocurrencies or NFTs. But as the industry is often linked to the metaverse and based on a number of famous brands in the metaverse, it is likely that Todai will refer to blockchain-based platforms.
Because of the critical time investors find themselves in, many of them are looking for new tools to survive in the context of the decentralized world, and the metaverse may be the right choice. The Japanese government is following a strategy to boost virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Recently, local Authorities have launched a campaign to encourage metaverse projects. The government will also use NFTs and avatars in a new virtual space.
“Virtual Yabu City” is the name of the virtual space of the campaign started in Yabu, a city in Hyogo Prefecture, in collaboration with Yoshimoto Kogyo, one of Japan’s largest and most powerful entertainment companies. Current trends show that Japan has long had a strong interest in the metaverse and consequently the transition to web3. Will this be just a trend or is the country actually committed to continuing investing in this space? Hard to tell, but for now, the second answer seems to be more likely.
