Bears Begins Home Support Partnership with Kumamoto City

Established in October 1999 and now in its 27th year, BEARS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Takeshi Takahashi, hereinafter referred to as Bears) is actively promoting administrative partnerships in child-rearing support. We are pleased to announce that starting July 1, 2026, Bears will newly participate as a visiting support provider in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture's "Prenatal and Postnatal Home Help Service Project."

Bears opened its "Kumamoto Branch," the third in the Kyushu area and twelfth nationwide, on March 21, 2026, expanding its service area for community-based home support services. This participation in Kumamoto City's "Prenatal and Postnatal Home Help Service Project" will accelerate the "Strengthening of community child-rearing support in cooperation with local governments" that was set forth at the time of the branch's opening. With this, the number of municipal projects Bears collaborates with nationwide will reach a total of 28.

[Details] "Infrastructure of Connection and Care" to Prevent Isolation and Exhaustion in Child-rearing

In recent years, values regarding housework and childcare are shifting from "individual responsibility" to "an endeavor supported by society as a whole." Administrative support for housework is spreading nationwide as a new living infrastructure, having been included in the government's "Basic Policy" for three consecutive years as an important measure for addressing declining birthrates and promoting women's active participation.

In Kumamoto City, a core city in Kyushu, child-rearing support and the creation of a comfortable living environment are being actively promoted, driven by factors such as the increase in dual-income households.

Amidst this, a survey conducted in 2025 by the "Japan Lifestyle Research Institute," established by Bears, revealed that approximately 90% of users of municipal housework support services responded with "satisfaction," with many experiencing "increased mental余裕" and "physical relief." Borrowing "someone's hands" during the physically and mentally unstable period of prenatal and postnatal stages goes beyond mere task delegation; it serves as an "infrastructure of connection and care" that prevents isolation and exhaustion in child-rearing, bringing about "recovery of daily life" and "space for mind and time."

In participating in Kumamoto City's "Prenatal and Postnatal Home Help Service Project," Bears will utilize its expertise cultivated through collaborations with municipalities nationwide, based out of the Kumamoto Branch opened in March 2026, to provide safe, secure, and compassionate home support services to families in the prenatal and postnatal stages who have the highest need for support.

[Details of Participating Project]

Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Home Help Service Project"

This project dispatches home helpers to families who find it difficult to perform housework and childcare due to physical conditions during pregnancy or after childbirth, multiple births, etc., to support personal care and childcare.

Services can be used up to 40 times (multiple times per day possible) at a rate of 600 yen per hour, from the date of registration approval until one year after childbirth. Usage time can be selected from 1 to 3 hours per session.

https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kiji003517/index.html

[Future Outlook]

Bears will strengthen its system for stably delivering high-quality services to customers while remaining rooted in the community, providing services that are "safe," "secure," "comfortable," and "convenient," and contributing to the creation of a society where "everyone can live the life they envision" by partnering with various municipalities, corporations, and organizations.

[Municipal Partnership Projects]

□ Prenatal and Postnatal Support Projects

February 1, 2023 Minato Ward, Tokyo "Minato Ward Prenatal and Postnatal Housework and Childcare Support Project"

May 8, 2023 Taito Ward, Tokyo "Prenatal and Postnatal Support Helper 'Attaka Hand'"

June 12, 2023 Shibuya Ward, Tokyo Childcare Support Helper Dispatch Project "Niko Niko Mama"

June 20, 2023 Nakano Ward, Tokyo "Postnatal Housework and Childcare Support Project"

July 3, 2023 Setagaya Ward, Tokyo Multiple Birth Family Helper Visiting Project "Twins Plus Support Project"

August 10, 2023 Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture "Fukuoka City Prenatal and Postnatal Helper Dispatch Project"

August 18, 2023 Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture "Infant Period Housework Support Project"

August 21, 2023 Sumida Ward, Tokyo "Child-rearing Family Housework Supporter Dispatch Project"

September 4, 2023 Katsushika Ward, Tokyo "Child-rearing Family Housework Supporter Dispatch Project"

December 11, 2023 Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Family Support Helper Dispatch Project"

April 1, 2024 Nerima Ward, Tokyo "Childcare Support Helper Project"

April 1, 2024 Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Helper Dispatch Project"

May 7, 2024 Nara City, Nara Prefecture "Angel Support Project"

May 7, 2024 Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Helper Dispatch Project"

June 1, 2024 Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture "Child-rearing Household Visiting Support Project"

July 1, 2024 Toshima Ward, Tokyo "Childcare Support Helper Project"

July 1, 2024 Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Housework Support Service"

July 1, 2024 Hisayama Town, Fukuoka Prefecture "Child-rearing Household Visiting Support Project"

April 1, 2025 Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture "Child-rearing Support Helper Dispatch Project"

April 1, 2025 Musashino City, Tokyo "Prenatal and Postnatal Support Helper"

June 18, 2025 Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Support Help Project"

July 21, 2025 Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Child-rearing Support Helper Dispatch Project"

April 1, 2026 Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Home Help Service"

July 1, 2026 Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture "Prenatal and Postnatal Home Help Service Project"

□ Single-Parent Support Projects

January 5, 2024 Minato Ward, Tokyo "Single-Parent Household Home Help Service"

April 1, 2024 Chuo Ward, Tokyo "Single-Parent Household Home Help Service Project"

April 1, 2024 Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture "Single-Parent Household Helper Dispatch Project"

□ Medical Care Support Projects

April 1, 2024 Arakawa Ward, Tokyo "Housework Support Project for Households with Children Requiring Medical Care"

*Please check each municipality's website for details. Application and screening by each municipality are required for use.

[Company Profile]

・Name: BEARS Co., Ltd.

・Representative: Takeshi Takahashi, President

・Location: 2-1-1 Nihonbashi-Hama-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0007

・Founded: October 1999

・Official Website: https://www.happy-bears.com/

・Business Activities: Housekeeping services, house cleaning, kids & baby sitter services, cooking services, elderly support services, lifestyle support services, etc.

Housekeeping Services https://www.happy-bears.com/kaji/

House Cleaning https://www.happy-bears.com/houseclean/

Kids & Baby Sitter Services https://www.happy-bears.com/baby/

Cooking Services https://www.happy-bears.com/cooking/

Elderly Support Services https://www.happy-bears.com/senior/

Lifestyle Support Services https://www.happy-bears.com/kurashi/

・Service Areas

(Housekeeping Services, Cooking Services, Elderly Support Services)

Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Ibaraki, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga, Aichi, Hokkaido, Fukuoka, Kumamoto

*Excluding some areas

(Kids & Baby Sitter Services)

Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Aichi, Hokkaido, Fukuoka *Excluding some areas

(House Cleaning Services)

In addition to the above, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Yamanashi, Nagano, Mie, Shizuoka, Wakayama, Tottori, Shimane, Hiroshima, Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, Kochi, Saga, Nagasaki, Kumamoto, Oita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Okinawa *Excluding some areas

(Lifestyle Support Services)

Available nationwide *Varies by service

[Customer Inquiries]

Inquiry Form: https://www.happy-bears.com/contact

[Media Contact for this Release]

BEARS Co., Ltd. Public Relations (Hattori, Aso, Mori) pr@happy-bears.com

Direct Line for Public Relations: 090-6461-8977 (Hattori) / 090-6584-5414 (Aso) / 070-2167-5467 (Mori)