Maruhan Health Insurance Society and Maruhan Corporation Jointly Introduce 'Pocket Therapist' to Address Physical Ailments Including Lower Back Pain at Workplaces, Accelerating Presenteeism Improvement and Medical Cost Optimization through Employer-Insurer Collabo-Health

BackTech Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter referred to as "our company") is pleased to announce that the health promotion support service "Pocket Therapist," provided by our company, has been introduced by the Maruhan Health Insurance Society (Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter referred to as "Maruhan Kenpo") and Maruhan Corporation (Kyoto Headquarters: Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; hereinafter referred to as "Maruhan Corp.").

Background of Introduction: Easy to Consult, Leads to Results. Towards a Health Consultation Service that Advances Health Management

Under its management philosophy of "Bringing Joy to Life," Maruhan has established the "Maruhan Health Declaration - Seven Policies for Health," which covers physical health, mental health, and women's health, and is engaged in initiatives for disease prevention and health maintenance and promotion. The company strives to build fulfilling lives and achieve sound corporate development, and has been certified as a "2026 Health Management Excellent Corporation." Furthermore, Maruhan Kenpo has also been developing a wide range of health programs to support the physical and mental well-being of its members, including various health checkups, support for exercise habits, and preventive initiatives, promoting health creation in conjunction with the employer.

Among these, care for physical ailments, including lower back pain associated with physically demanding work at the front lines, has been a continuously important theme to address. Physical ailments such as lower back pain are a major cause of presenteeism, where employees come to work but cannot perform at their full potential. Many voices from members have been received regarding this issue, making countermeasures and concrete measures for prevention and early intervention a key focus under the "collabo-health" initiative, which involves collaboration between the employer and the health insurance society.

Within this context, it was decided to introduce "Pocket Therapist" as a "health consultation service that is easy for members to use," which can also address mental health issues early on by focusing on physical health problems like lower back pain.

The decision to adopt the service was based on the following three points:

An initiative with expected cost-effectiveness, addressing both lower back pain and mental well-being Specialists in musculoskeletal disorders, such as physical therapists and occupational therapists, support self-care for physical ailments like lower back pain and stiff shoulders, while simultaneously working on maintaining mental condition. The ability to address both lower back pain and mental health was evaluated as an initiative with expected cost-effectiveness.

A framework that can support in two aspects: optimization of judo-therapeutic expenses and sickness and injury allowance The optimization of judo-therapeutic expenses due to lower back pain and other issues, and the optimization of sickness and injury allowance through the maintenance of mental condition, aligned with the qualitative improvement and direction of health programs that the health insurance society aims for.

Providing an accessible point of contact through chat support by medical professionals Medical professionals such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, and certified public psychologists provide one-on-one support via smartphone, creating an environment where members can work on establishing healthy habits at their own pace without their company knowing.

Through the introduction of "Pocket Therapist," under the "collabo-health" framework that collaborates between the employer and the health insurance society, we will contribute to the maintenance of the physical and mental condition of each member, the improvement of presenteeism, and the mid-to-long-term optimization of medical costs and qualitative improvement of health programs, starting with measures for physical ailments such as lower back pain at workplaces.

Comments from Responsible Persons

Mr. Hata, Maruhan Health Insurance Society

As a characteristic of our health insurance society, our business locations are spread across the country, and many employees work in shift-based, standing customer service roles, necessitating measures for lower back pain. Therefore, we decided to introduce this online program, which allows users to schedule appointments with physical therapists themselves regardless of location or time, as it is a highly usable program.

We have received feedback from users that their pain and discomfort have improved through continuous self-management based on detailed guidance from medical specialists such as physical therapists. We also believe it is beneficial for mental care, as mental health is also taken into consideration during consultations.

We can check the number of users and the progress of appointment slots in real-time from the management screen, and we are advancing "collabo-health" through regular reviews and evaluations.

Mr. Matsuhashi, Maruhan Corporation

While it is difficult for companies to add new initiatives mid-fiscal year, this was introduced as a "collabo-health" initiative with the health insurance society from the second half of fiscal year 2025. After trials such as online consultations, we have begun company-wide deployment, but currently, its utilization is limited to some employees. We plan to promote its widespread use by highlighting the effects of AI posture assessments, etc.

About Maruhan Health Insurance Society

Maruhan Health Insurance Society is a health insurance society that supports the health maintenance and promotion of employees of Maruhan Corporation and their families. It develops health programs that comprehensively support members' prevention and health promotion, including various health checkups, subsidies for smoking cessation clinics and online smoking cessation programs, and subsidies for various vaccinations.

Society Name: Maruhan Health Insurance Society

Location: SPK Building 7F, 1-9-12 Matsugaya, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Director General: Naoki Tabata

Affiliated Company: Maruhan Corporation

URL: https://maruhan-kenpo.jp/

About Maruhan Corporation

Since its establishment in 1957, Maruhan Corporation has been a company that develops leisure businesses such as bowling, amusement, and cinema, as well as building maintenance, food service, golf, and overseas financial businesses, with pachinko as its core business. With "Bringing Joy to Life" as its management philosophy, it actively promotes the health maintenance and promotion of its employees, as evidenced by its certification as a "2026 Health Management Excellent Corporation."

Company Name: Maruhan Corporation

Location: Kyoto Headquarters / Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture; Tokyo Headquarters / Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Chairman and Representative Director, Chang-woo Han

Established: December 1972 (Founded: May 1957)

URL: https://www.maruhan.co.jp/

About "Pocket Therapist"

"Pocket Therapist" is a service that approaches mental health issues, which are difficult to address, from the perspective of physical pain and concerns, supporting a wide range of measures from physical complaints to mental health issues and improving presenteeism.

Based on the expertise of medical professionals, it supports the improvement of health literacy and the habituation of self-care through online consultations for health problems and the provision of personalized health programs and video content for each employee.

In addition to functioning as a health consultation service, by providing support for specific ailments and concerns, it is being introduced in numerous health insurance societies and companies, regardless of industry or size, with the aim of addressing high-stress individuals, whose numbers have been increasing in recent years, and reducing presenteeism.

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You can view the service's features, usage examples, and implementation results.

About BackTech Inc.

BackTech Inc. is a venture company with strong medical expertise originating from Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, with the management philosophy of "Making Society Healthy." It supports companies in the strategic planning and implementation of human capital management and health management. "Pocket Therapist," a service for addressing mental health issues by focusing on stiff shoulders and lower back pain, is provided by medical professionals, primarily physical therapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists, who support the physical and mental health of each employee.

BackTech will contribute to the realization of a healthy and sustainable society by supporting health management across a wide range of industries and by enabling more companies and organizations to utilize "Pocket Therapist."

Company Name: BackTech Inc.

Representative: Naoto Fukutani, Representative Director and CEO

Location: 6F, Canal Square Shibaura, 3-14-18 Shibaura, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Date of Establishment: April 4, 2016

URL: https://www.backtech.co.jp/

Pocket Therapist: https://pocket-therapist.jp/

Contact Information

BackTech Inc. Public Relations

Email: info@backtech.co.jp