We are pleased to announce that Junichi Okuyama, President of CACL Inc., has been selected as one of the 30 Culture-Preneurs 2025 in the special feature by Forbes JAPAN (November issue), released on September 25, 2025.

About the “Culture-Preneurs” Feature

Culture-Preneurs are cultural entrepreneurs who pioneer new businesses through activities in the fields of culture and creativity, aiming to realize a more fulfilling world. This year marks the third edition of the feature. With the support of 17 advisory board members, candidates—primarily cultural entrepreneurs under the age of 45 expected to achieve future growth—were nominated, and 30 individuals and organizations were selected by the editorial board.

Official site: https://forbesjapan.com/feat/culture-preneurs30-2025/

About Forbes JAPAN

https://forbesjapan.com

Launched in June 2014 as the Japanese edition of Forbes, Forbes JAPAN curates articles from the U.S. and other international editions, combined with original content produced in Japan, targeting readers with a global perspective. Each issue also features lifestyle articles, providing readers with insights into both business and daily life.

Its online platform, forbesjapan.com, curates a wide range of articles published daily by Forbes.com, while also delivering original content by official columnists, creating a rich mix of engaging business and lifestyle journalism.

Comment from Junichi Okuyama

“It is a great honor to be selected as a Culture-Preneur. I truly feel that it is through the many relationships and encounters with people that I have been able to come this far, and I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been part of this journey. CACL was founded in June 2023 in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, the home of Kutani ware. Encounters with fragments of Kutani and Suzu ware ceramics, as well as artisans of Wajima lacquerware, have had a profound impact on my life. Moving forward, I will continue to take on challenges one step at a time, free from conventional frameworks, to create new possibilities.”

Profile: Junichi Okuyama

• Born: April 6, 1984, in Gifu Prefecture
• In 2012, after witnessing his mother become socially isolated due to a serious illness, founded a welfare services company for people with disabilities. Expanded to more than 20 locations in Hokuriku before transferring the business in 2022.
• In 2023, established CACL Inc., combining traditional crafts—facing challenges such as labor shortages and succession—with welfare services for people with disabilities. Inspired by seeing ceramic fragments discarded as non-standard at a Kutani ware kiln, he began experimenting with their reuse.
• Following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1, 2024, launched efforts to restore damaged Kutani ware, creating new employment opportunities for Wajima lacquerware artisans, and established a temporary workshop within CACL.
• Currently develops creative projects and products that give new value to ceramic fragments and other materials that have lost their original function, exploring artistic expression and product development.

About CACL Inc.

CACL Inc., headquartered in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture—famous for Kutani ware—addresses two intertwined challenges: the shortage of successors in traditional crafts and the limited, low-wage employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

The company has produced art pieces and products using ceramic fragments. In response to the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake, CACL launched the Stand with NOTO project, which involved setting up temporary workshops for Wajima lacquerware artisans and creating new employment opportunities. It also initiated the Rediscover Project, combining Kutani ceramic fragments with Suzu ware and Wajima lacquer techniques, and presented works created from earthquake-damaged ceramic fragments at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa (“Dancing with All – Ecologies of Empathy”).

In July 2025, CACL launched KAKERA, an experimental brand redefining the value of discarded or non-standard traditional crafts by developing products and materials from ceramic fragments. The brand has collaborated with Parfums Givenchy and, together with LIXIL and Yuko Nagayama & Associates, launched a joint project to carry forward Noto’s traditional landscapes into the future.

Company Information

• Company Name: CACL Inc.
• Head Office: 56 Ri, Tatsunokuchi-machi, Nomi-shi, Ishikawa 923-1245, Japan
• Representative: Junichi Okuyama
• Established: June 1, 2023
• Tel: +81-761-48-8004