The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will launch a free online course, "Data Science Exercises for Working Professionals," on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Registration for the course began on Tuesday, August 25. This course, designed to cultivate highly skilled individuals in data science, is part of the Ministry's efforts to improve statistical literacy. To date, approximately 107,000 people have taken the course, and anyone can register (registration and tuition are free).
"Data Science Exercises for Working Professionals" teaches data analysis (statistical analysis) methods through exercises using spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel) and statistical analysis software R. The course is structured to allow for repeated learning of data science theory and methods through exercises based on business case studies, building upon "Introduction to Data Science for Working Professionals" and offering more practical content.
The course is scheduled to run from October 13th (Tuesday) to December 22nd (Tuesday), and will consist of 5 to 8 lecture videos, each approximately 10 minutes long, spread over 5 weeks. The instructors include Professor Yutaka Matsuo of the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, and others. A certificate of completion will be issued to those who achieve a certain level of performance on the weekly quizzes and the final assignment.
Those wishing to enroll should register on the course introduction website. Registration is scheduled to close on Monday, November 30th.
<Data Science Exercise Curriculum for Working Adults>
Week 1: Learn the knowledge necessary for data science and the data analysis cycle
Week 2: Learn how to capture data characteristics and the relationship between two variables
Week 3: Learn how to predict one variable from many other variables
Week 4: Learn how to determine whether differences in data are due to chance or are meaningful
Week 5: Learn how to report your analysis results and what to be careful of when handling data
*Spreadsheet software (Microsoft Excel) exercises will be conducted during weeks 2-4. In addition, statistical analysis software R exercises will be conducted during a special week.
