Four Municipalities in Higashishirakawa District, Fukushima (Tanagura, Yamatsuri, Hanawa, Samegawa) Introduce 'Obstetrics/Gynecology & Pediatrics Online'

Kids Public Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative: Naoya Hashimoto) has received a commission from Tanagura Town (Mayor: Masao Miyagawa), Yamatsuri Town (Mayor: Shoichiro Sagawa), Hanawa Town (Mayor: Hidetoshi Miyata), and Samegawa Village (Mayor: Masayuki Soda) in Higashishirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture. As of April 1, 2026, the company has started providing its 'Obstetrics and Gynecology / Pediatrics Online' service for the residents of these four municipalities.

By providing an environment where residents can easily consult obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, and pediatricians via smartphones, the company will help build a system to support child-rearing households across the entire region.

■ Background of the Introduction of 'Obstetrics/Gynecology & Pediatrics Online'

In the four municipalities of Higashishirakawa District, located at the southern tip of Fukushima Prefecture, specialized medical institutions for obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics are limited. Specifically, the scarcity of nearby facilities capable of handling childbirth or pediatric hospitalizations has been a long-standing issue.

Until now, when specialized medical care or consultation was required, it was not uncommon to have to travel nearly an hour each way to secondary medical care zones outside the district (such as Shirakawa City) or to medical institutions in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture. The lack of adequate local consultation windows for sudden health changes at night or on holidays, as well as minor concerns about raising a first child, has placed a mental and physical burden on child-rearing households.

Against this backdrop, the need to solve these issues in each municipality has increased.

In Tanagura Town, there are no obstetrics and gynecology clinics, and medical institutions offering pediatrics are limited, raising concerns about the burden of traveling outside the town and securing a consultation system at night. In Yamatsuri Town, where there are few pediatric medical institutions making nighttime response difficult, ensuring a medical system to support children's healthy growth was placed as a top priority. In Hanawa Town, being a small municipality with limited local medical resources, responding to nighttime and holiday needs was particularly difficult. They aimed to create a comfortable environment for child-rearing by establishing a consultation window with experts available at any time. In Samegawa Village, a lack of obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics both within the village and in neighboring towns meant there were no medical institutions capable of handling childbirth or infant/child hospitalization. The near one-hour travel time for emergencies and regular visits placed a heavy burden on residents.

To alleviate the anxiety of those raising children in municipalities with insufficient medical resources and to maintain an environment where everyone can give birth and raise children safely in their hometowns, 'Obstetrics/Gynecology & Pediatrics Online' has been introduced as an online health and medical consultation window. This service allows consultation with obstetricians, gynecologists, midwives, and pediatricians at any time. We will contribute to establishing an accompanying support system that warmly watches over child-rearing households across the region, overcoming geographical constraints and time barriers.

■ Service Details of 'Obstetrics/Gynecology & Pediatrics Online' Available in the 4 Municipalities (Partial)

Residents of Tanagura Town, Yamatsuri Town, Hanawa Town, and Samegawa Village can consult pediatricians, obstetricians/gynecologists, and midwives online for free. It is also possible for men (husbands, partners) to consult about women's physical and mental health.

- Consultation Anytime: 24 Hours Every Day

A Q&A format consultation where messages can be sent via a website form. Doctors and midwives will generally reply with a text response within 24 hours.

- Nighttime Consultation: Weekdays 18:00 - 22:00

A 10-minute reservation-based consultation with obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics medical professionals. It supports LINE chat and video calls, and reservations can be made up to 15 minutes before the consultation starts.

- Daytime Midwife Consultation: Weekdays 13:00 - 17:00

Message chatting on LINE with a midwife is possible without a reservation. You can consult thoroughly without worrying about the time.

- Public Consultation Search

Highly reliable consultation examples created by doctors and midwives are posted. You can search for past consultations similar to your own concerns.

■ About Higashishirakawa District, Fukushima Prefecture (Tanagura, Yamatsuri, Hanawa, Samegawa)

Higashishirakawa District is located at the southernmost point of Fukushima Prefecture. Embraced by the beautiful mountain ranges of the Abukuma mountains and the clear streams of the Kuji River, it is a region rich in nature and history. The district boasts unique charms: Tanagura Town's castle town atmosphere with historical buildings, Hanawa Town's brilliant dahlias likened to a dahlia museum, Yamatsuri Town's scenic beauty of Yamatsuriyama in the Okukuji Prefectural Nature Park, and Samegawa Village's Kazunodaira Observatory situated on hills with sprawling grasslands. While each municipality has its own appeal, they work together broadly to promote 'creating a region where people can continue to live with peace of mind.'

In response to the challenge of specialized medical institutions being located far away due to geographical constraints, the region actively deploys robust unique support measures. Based on 'Child Plans' and 'Health Promotion Plans' formulated by each municipality, initiatives include the expansion of Tanagura Town's 'Healthy Baby Support Benefit', Yamatsuri Town's 'Healthy Baby Birth Celebration Money', and the operation of the child-rearing gathering plaza 'Kangaroo Club'.