Disability Childcare Support Platform Asuly Plus Wins the Childcare System Award

Asuly Plus, a disability childcare support platform operated by Gajumaru no Ki LLC, headquartered in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City and represented by Fumiya Nakano, has won the Childcare System Award hosted by the Japan Childcare System Promotion Association, known as Ikuhaku, which operates one of Japan's largest childcare system databases. “There is nowhere that will take in children who need medical care.” Even among more than 350 after-school day services in Fukuoka City, children with severe disabilities or medical care needs continue to be turned away. To address this social issue of families becoming isolated in the gaps of existing systems, the company is taking a two-track approach: the digital online platform Asuly Plus and the physical day support facility network Gajumaru. The Childcare System Award, organized by Ikuhaku, recognizes outstanding mechanisms that truly support child-rearing households. Ikuhaku operates one of Japan's largest databases, covering more than 300,000 municipal programs and private services nationwide. Asuly Plus was highly evaluated as an innovative digital support service that connects families raising children with disabilities who are isolated in areas not reached by government programs or existing welfare services. Fukuoka City is known for strong childcare support and has more than 350 after-school day services. However, facilities capable of accepting children with severe physical and intellectual disabilities or children requiring medical care remain extremely limited. As a result, parents, especially mothers, are often forced to leave their jobs, reach physical and mental limits from around-the-clock care, and become socially isolated. Since its founding in 2022, Gajumaru no Ki LLC has built a comprehensive support system through three businesses: the disability child day support service Gajumaru, the disability childcare platform Asuly Plus, and the home-visit sick-child childcare service Kids Leaf. Asuly Plus is a comprehensive online support platform for families raising children with disabilities. Its main features include a message board where parents in similar situations can consult and exchange information, a facility search function that allows searches based on special conditions such as medical care support, a health management function for centralized records of daily conditions and medical care, and discussion spaces for topic-based expert information exchange. Through these functions, the platform aims to turn “having no one to rely on” into “being connected.” Gajumaru is a child development support and after-school day service for children aged 0 to 18 with severe disabilities or medical care needs. Nurses, child instructors, childcare workers, and other specialists work together to provide a system capable of handling medical care. In response to the severe shortage of such facilities in Fukuoka City, the company plans to concentrate locations in areas with high demand. In April 2026, it will open After-School Day Service Gajumaru Hakata in Naka, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City, followed by additional locations in August and December 2026 and April 2027. The core of its three-year, 21-facility plan is to create a situation in the Fukuoka metropolitan area where families can always find an accepting facility within commuting distance from home. Representative Fumiya Nakano said the initiative began with the voice of a single parent who said there was nowhere to leave a child requiring medical care. Asuly Plus is a place designed to reduce that isolation and ensure families struggling alone are not left disconnected. By connecting parents with others who have similar experiences and with professionals, the company aims to transform “having no one to rely on” into “a place where parents and children can shine.” Nakano added that the award belongs to users who share their concerns and experiences every day and to staff members who continue to support children on the ground, and that the company will continue building from Fukuoka a society where parents and children can envision and walk toward their futures.