Mercari to Establish a Collaborative Research Laboratory Between Mercari R4D Labs and Osaka University in July 2025

Leveraging Humanities and Social Sciences Perspectives to Contribute to Creating a World That Circulates All Forms of Value

Mercari, Inc. (“Mercari”) announces that it will establish the Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory, a collaborative research laboratory between Mercari R4D Labs and Osaka University, on July 1, 2025, as part of the Osaka University Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (“ELSI Center”). The research laboratory will use Mercari as a fieldwork environment to carry out research into various topics related to corporate activities from the diverse perspectives offered by the humanities and social sciences, aiming to contribute to creating a world that circulates all forms of value.

In recent years, it has become progressively more difficult to predict the impact of the emergence and dramatic advancement of new technology, such as generative AI and LLMs. As a result, it is increasingly important for companies implementing these technologies to take responsibility for ensuring that their corporate activities and services are appropriate from more than just a technical perspective. In analyzing the issues and impact that such implementation is expected to have on society, companies should also include diverse perspectives in humanities and social sciences fields, such as ethics, law, sociology, and philosophy.

In 2020, Mercari’s research and development organization Mercari R4D began joint research with Osaka University’s ELSI Center on ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) in research and corporate activities.¹ Through this joint research, the two organizations have carried out R&D in humanities and social science fields, such as the enhancement of R&D ethics reviews at Mercari², AI ethics³, and a case study on initiatives to equalize the gender pay gap⁴.

The new Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory will aim to further develop these research projects and leverage expertise in the humanities and social sciences to pave the way toward achieving Mercari’s mission of circulating all forms of value. The laboratory will also use Mercari as a fieldwork environment to carry out research into various topics related to corporate activities, turn the knowledge gained into academic output, and share that output with society at large.

 

Intent behind establishing the Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory

• Vision
  • Leverage expertise in the humanities and social sciences to guide the way to a world that circulates all forms of value
• Examples of research projects
  • Fundamental research on the circular economy
    • Reestablishing fundamental questions and concepts regarding value, circulation, and value circulation
    • Establishing academic studies on value circulation
  • Practical research on corporate activities
    • Enhancing research ethics reviews, addressing ELSI for new technologies and services, creating training and education programs, etc.
  • Social impact achieved through research results
    • Researching outreach activities and their implementation
    • Researching ideal forms of industry-academia collaboration and corporate research institutes
    • Cultivating and expanding research partners from collaboration within Osaka University to other universities, other companies, and organizations such as local governments

Overview of the Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory

• Name: Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory
• Location: 2-8 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka Prefecture (on Osaka University’s Suita campus)
• Director: Atsuo Kishimoto (Professor, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University)
• Associate Directors: Makoto Tago (Mercari R4D Director, Mercari, Inc. / [Upcoming] Visiting Academic Staff, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University), Ryota Akasaka (Associate Professor, Research Center on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues, Osaka University)）

Through the Mercari R4D Research Alliance Laboratory, Mercari will strive to share academic output regarding the impact its corporate activities have on society and the environment, both in theory and in practice, establish new corporate standards rooted in humanities and social sciences, and create a world that circulates all forms of value.

 

1.Mercari and Osaka University ELSI Center Begin Joint Research (only available in Japanese)
https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20201218_elsi/
2.Mercari Publishes Proprietary Ethical R&D Guidelines Based on Joint Research with Osaka University’s ELSI Center
https://r4d.mercari.com/en/elsi/
3.Mercari R4D Releases ELSI Research Results and “Guidelines for Speedy Product Development Using LLMs” to General Public
https://r4d.mercari.com/en/news/LLM-guideline/
4.New ELSI Note Released—“Illuminating Gender Disparities through HR Data: An Initiative towards Equalizing the Gender Pay Gap at Mercari, Inc.” | Mercari R4D
https://r4d.mercari.com/en/news/240202_ELSInote_genderpaygap/