Patented Multilingual Communication Infrastructure 'QR Talk' Addresses Labor Accident Risks Due to 'Language Barriers' at Construction Sites
One Minutes' worksite-specific translation tool 'QR Talk' is expanding its adoption in the construction industry, including Kumagai Gumi Taiwan. It requires no dedicated devices and reduces labor accident risks caused by language barriers.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 17:32
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 09:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 09:08 (7 min after Collected)
One Minutes Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Naoki Komoriya) announces that the adoption of its patented, worksite-specific multilingual communication infrastructure 'QR Talk' is expanding within the construction industry.
As of April 2026, implementation is advancing at construction and specialized engineering companies, including Kumagai Gumi's local subsidiary in Taiwan (Hua Hsiung Construction Co., Ltd.) and Nittoku Construction Co., Ltd. Its use is spreading in 'core worksite communication tasks' such as morning assemblies, KY (kiken yochi: hazard prediction) activities, and safety training.
According to an announcement by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of foreign workers employed in Japan surged to approximately 2.3 million as of the end of October 2024, of which 178,000 were in the construction industry (a 22.7% increase from the previous year, and about an 8.5-fold increase over 10 years).
Meanwhile, the biggest challenge faced by companies employing foreigners in the construction industry is 'the language barrier due to lack of Japanese language proficiency' (70.0%). The MHLW's 'Status of Occupational Accidents among Foreign Workers in Reiwa 5' also pointed out that the construction industry has the second-highest number of occupational accidents among foreign workers after manufacturing, with an especially high accident rate among Technical Intern Trainees.
As an effective countermeasure against these 'labor accident risks caused by the language barrier,' 'QR Talk'—which enables multilingual conversation simply by scanning a QR code without the need for dedicated devices or apps—is gaining widespread support in the construction and specialized engineering industries.
■ What is 'QR Talk'? — A Multilingual Communication Infrastructure for Worksites
'QR Talk' is a cloud service that realizes multilingual communication between Japanese staff (site supervisors, foremen, etc.) and foreign workers simply by scanning a QR code. Through AI voice recognition, automatic language detection, and real-time translation, conversations on-site are established without the presence of a translator/interpreter.
No Dedicated App Required — Usable solely with the QR scanning function of the foreign worker's smartphone.
No Dedicated Device Required — Eliminates the risk of purchasing, managing, charging, and losing translation devices like Pocketalk.
Unlimited Concurrent Connections — Handles any number of workers without additional costs.
Automatic Conversation Log Saving — Records what was conveyed and how, which can be utilized for confirmation when accidents occur and for improving safety training.
Patented — Holds patents related to the QR code-initiated multilingual conversation UI/UX.
■ Implementation Case: Kumagai Gumi Taiwan Subsidiary (Hua Hsiung Construction Co., Ltd.)
'Multilingual Communication Connecting Sites in Taiwan'
■ Differences from Traditional Translation Tools
■ The Intrinsic Value of 'QR Talk' in the Construction Industry
QR Talk is positioned not merely as a translation tool, but as an infrastructure addressing the following management challenges at construction sites.
Reduction of Labor Accident Risks — Preventing accidents caused by language barriers and securing evidence in the event they occur.
Streamlining Safety Training — Reducing the cost of securing and arranging interpreters.
Establishing Systems for Accepting Foreigners — An essential foundation for expanding the acceptance of Specified Skilled Workers and Technical Intern Trainees.
Reducing the Burden on Site Supervisors — Cutting down the man-hours previously spent dealing with language issues.
■ Future Developments
One Minutes will continue to expand its implementations primarily in the construction industry, while also promoting horizontal expansion into other industries and nationwide rollout through a sales agent network.
■ One Minutes Inc.
Representative: Naoki Komoriya
Location: 15F Toranomon Hills Business Tower, 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Business Activities: Development and operation of foreign language communication support tools 'One Minutes' and 'QR Talk', DX consulting
URL: https://one-minutes.com/
As of April 2026, implementation is advancing at construction and specialized engineering companies, including Kumagai Gumi's local subsidiary in Taiwan (Hua Hsiung Construction Co., Ltd.) and Nittoku Construction Co., Ltd. Its use is spreading in 'core worksite communication tasks' such as morning assemblies, KY (kiken yochi: hazard prediction) activities, and safety training.
According to an announcement by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of foreign workers employed in Japan surged to approximately 2.3 million as of the end of October 2024, of which 178,000 were in the construction industry (a 22.7% increase from the previous year, and about an 8.5-fold increase over 10 years).
Meanwhile, the biggest challenge faced by companies employing foreigners in the construction industry is 'the language barrier due to lack of Japanese language proficiency' (70.0%). The MHLW's 'Status of Occupational Accidents among Foreign Workers in Reiwa 5' also pointed out that the construction industry has the second-highest number of occupational accidents among foreign workers after manufacturing, with an especially high accident rate among Technical Intern Trainees.
As an effective countermeasure against these 'labor accident risks caused by the language barrier,' 'QR Talk'—which enables multilingual conversation simply by scanning a QR code without the need for dedicated devices or apps—is gaining widespread support in the construction and specialized engineering industries.
■ What is 'QR Talk'? — A Multilingual Communication Infrastructure for Worksites
'QR Talk' is a cloud service that realizes multilingual communication between Japanese staff (site supervisors, foremen, etc.) and foreign workers simply by scanning a QR code. Through AI voice recognition, automatic language detection, and real-time translation, conversations on-site are established without the presence of a translator/interpreter.
No Dedicated App Required — Usable solely with the QR scanning function of the foreign worker's smartphone.
No Dedicated Device Required — Eliminates the risk of purchasing, managing, charging, and losing translation devices like Pocketalk.
Unlimited Concurrent Connections — Handles any number of workers without additional costs.
Automatic Conversation Log Saving — Records what was conveyed and how, which can be utilized for confirmation when accidents occur and for improving safety training.
Patented — Holds patents related to the QR code-initiated multilingual conversation UI/UX.
■ Implementation Case: Kumagai Gumi Taiwan Subsidiary (Hua Hsiung Construction Co., Ltd.)
'Multilingual Communication Connecting Sites in Taiwan'
■ Differences from Traditional Translation Tools
■ The Intrinsic Value of 'QR Talk' in the Construction Industry
QR Talk is positioned not merely as a translation tool, but as an infrastructure addressing the following management challenges at construction sites.
Reduction of Labor Accident Risks — Preventing accidents caused by language barriers and securing evidence in the event they occur.
Streamlining Safety Training — Reducing the cost of securing and arranging interpreters.
Establishing Systems for Accepting Foreigners — An essential foundation for expanding the acceptance of Specified Skilled Workers and Technical Intern Trainees.
Reducing the Burden on Site Supervisors — Cutting down the man-hours previously spent dealing with language issues.
■ Future Developments
One Minutes will continue to expand its implementations primarily in the construction industry, while also promoting horizontal expansion into other industries and nationwide rollout through a sales agent network.
■ One Minutes Inc.
Representative: Naoki Komoriya
Location: 15F Toranomon Hills Business Tower, 1-17-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Business Activities: Development and operation of foreign language communication support tools 'One Minutes' and 'QR Talk', DX consulting
URL: https://one-minutes.com/