Non-profit Corporation KOTOBUKI Establishes Research Division to Launch Participatory Social Research Exploring a "Society Where Longevity is Celebrated"

■ Background of Establishment

Aging is often discussed as a burden and challenge for society.

Following Japan, many countries and regions will face aging populations.

We view "aging not as a problem, but as an opportunity to rethink the way society is structured."

Through participation in international conferences and business development, we realize that Japan, having grappled with aging and undergone trial and error, has the potential to contribute to the international community going forward.

In line with the sentiment of "a society where longevity can be truly celebrated," embedded in our company name KOTOBUKI (寿 - longevity/celebration), we are launching "KOTOBUKI Research Lab" to realize this vision.

■ Participatory Social Research and Creation of the "KOTOBUKI White Paper"

First, we will conduct social research to gather voices from people of diverse backgrounds on the theme of "a society where longevity can be truly celebrated," which is at the heart of KOTOBUKI (寿).

In this initiative, we will broadly collect opinions through a combination of interviews and surveys, delving into individual voices. We will also create opportunities for people with similar opinions and perspectives to engage in dialogue, continuously deepening our inquiry.

The insights accumulated through this process will be organized into the "KOTOBUKI White Paper." This white paper will document the voices of people from diverse backgrounds and the process of their evolution, visualizing practical knowledge related to "a society where longevity is celebrated."

This research is not a one-time project but will be operated as a mechanism to continuously accumulate opinions and provide feedback on progress and the voices of others to participants. Through continuous updates, we will connect individual inquiries to societal questions and disseminate them both domestically and internationally.

■ Future Development

This initiative will commence research in March 2026 and will be fully rolled out from April 2026.

This project has involved extensive consideration of the nature of social impact through participation in the TOKYO Co-cial IMPACT Acceleration Program (Impact Design Course).

During this program, we came to believe that there is value not only in measuring success by sales and numerical indicators, but also in gathering the voices of people from diverse backgrounds and capturing their changes. It is against this backdrop that we position this research as a core initiative.

We plan to present an interim report and distribute it at the program's demo day scheduled for May 2026. We are currently working towards this by collecting voices from at least 500 individuals.

■ Participation Mechanism

This project is designed as a mechanism for participation and support in various forms, not limited to research and dialogue.

One such form is our participation and support system through merchandise purchases, for which we have launched sales on SUZURI. Each product is sold at a price with a ¥100 markup over the cost, and the proceeds will be used to fund the lab's research and practical activities.

Our focus is not on expanding sales itself, but on gradually broadening the circle of engagement.

■ Company Overview

Company Name: Non-profit Corporation KOTOBUKI

Representative: Tomonori Kaneko

Established: January 2025

Business Activities: Inspection and training programs for elderly care, educational program development, international cooperation

URL: https://www.kotobuki-care.global/