Aikawa Town (Kanagawa), Atsugi Dental Association, and Lotte Sign a 'Cooperation Agreement on Promoting the Dental and Oral Health of Aikawa Town Residents'
Lotte Co., Ltd. has signed a tripartite agreement with Aikawa Town and the Atsugi Dental Association to promote oral health and prevent oral frailty using xylitol and chewing habits, as well as to provide disaster relief supplies.
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- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 13:00 (97h 28m after Collected)
Lotte Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Hideki Nakajima, hereinafter "Lotte") signed an "Agreement on the Promotion of Dental and Oral Health of Aikawa Town Residents" on Thursday, April 9, 2026, with Aikawa Town (Aiko-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture, Mayor: Yutaka Onozawa) and the Atsugi Dental Association (Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture, President: Shinji Hori, hereinafter "Atsugi Dental Association"). This marks Lotte's 25th cooperation agreement related to oral health.
The three parties will cooperate and collaborate to promote dental and oral health so that Aikawa Town residents can lead healthy and fulfilling lives through the maintenance and improvement of their oral environments.
Scene of the agreement signing ceremony held at the Aikawa Town Hall on Thursday, April 9, 2026 (From left: Toshiyuki Okamoto from Lotte, Mayor Yutaka Onozawa of Aikawa Town, and President Shinji Hori of the Atsugi Dental Association).
● Main Contents of this Agreement
- Matters related to various projects implemented by Aikawa Town through the promotion of dental and oral health.
- Matters related to the promotion of dental and oral health of town residents.
- Matters related to the awareness and popularization of the importance of "chewing" and correct knowledge thereof.
- Matters related to the awareness and popularization of correct knowledge for acquiring, maintaining, and improving oral functions.
- Matters related to support for disaster victims, including the provision of supplies in times of disaster.
- Matters related to other necessary items to achieve the purpose of this agreement.
* Since its founding in 1948, Lotte has cultivated expertise in "chewing" and "xylitol." By utilizing these as various tools, Lotte will contribute to the dental and oral health of Aikawa Town residents.
● Agreement Signing Ceremony
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Location: Aikawa Town Hall
Attendees:
Yutaka Onozawa, Mayor of Aikawa Town
Shinji Hori, President of the Atsugi Dental Association
Toshiyuki Okamoto, Branch Manager of Lotte Kanagawa Branch
● Comment from Toshiyuki Okamoto, Lotte Kanagawa Branch
We have concluded this tripartite agreement with the aim of helping Aikawa Town realize its goal of "A bright Aikawa rich in heart, where all residents join hands to actively practice health promotion and share the joy of living together." By utilizing Lotte's unique strengths and technologies, we hope to contribute to the promotion of everyone's health through all-age initiatives. These include countermeasures against oral frailty, health awareness activities for adults regarding teeth and mouths, and the development of oral functions and maintenance of dental health in early childhood.
Following an invitation from the Atsugi Dental Association, we were introduced to Aikawa Town, which falls under their jurisdiction, leading to the conclusion of this cooperation agreement.
Under our company's sustainability goal, "Lotte Mirai Challenge 2048," one of our objectives is to popularize health promotion through "chewing," and we are driving research and awareness activities regarding the relationship between chewing and health. We are also engaged in activities such as maintaining dental health in early childhood using xylitol.
Furthermore, to mitigate health hazards caused by secondary disasters in the event of an emergency, we will provide disaster victim support to Aikawa Town, including the supply of goods such as xylitol-infused gum and tablets as tools to protect oral health.
Reference Material: What is Oral Frailty?
Oral frailty refers to "minor decline in oral function." If minor declines in oral function are left untreated or without appropriate countermeasures, it is believed to lead to an imbalance in nutrition and systemic decline, and it is drawing attention as an "important sign indicating the onset of aging."
In fact, a continuous study checking the oral functions of the elderly reported that individuals with oral frailty have approximately double the risk of experiencing physical decline such as "physical frailty" and "sarcopenia" two years later, and the risk of requiring "nursing care certification" or "death" four years later (*1).
*1 Source: Tanaka et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018;73(12):1661-1667
The three parties will cooperate and collaborate to promote dental and oral health so that Aikawa Town residents can lead healthy and fulfilling lives through the maintenance and improvement of their oral environments.
Scene of the agreement signing ceremony held at the Aikawa Town Hall on Thursday, April 9, 2026 (From left: Toshiyuki Okamoto from Lotte, Mayor Yutaka Onozawa of Aikawa Town, and President Shinji Hori of the Atsugi Dental Association).
● Main Contents of this Agreement
- Matters related to various projects implemented by Aikawa Town through the promotion of dental and oral health.
- Matters related to the promotion of dental and oral health of town residents.
- Matters related to the awareness and popularization of the importance of "chewing" and correct knowledge thereof.
- Matters related to the awareness and popularization of correct knowledge for acquiring, maintaining, and improving oral functions.
- Matters related to support for disaster victims, including the provision of supplies in times of disaster.
- Matters related to other necessary items to achieve the purpose of this agreement.
* Since its founding in 1948, Lotte has cultivated expertise in "chewing" and "xylitol." By utilizing these as various tools, Lotte will contribute to the dental and oral health of Aikawa Town residents.
● Agreement Signing Ceremony
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Location: Aikawa Town Hall
Attendees:
Yutaka Onozawa, Mayor of Aikawa Town
Shinji Hori, President of the Atsugi Dental Association
Toshiyuki Okamoto, Branch Manager of Lotte Kanagawa Branch
● Comment from Toshiyuki Okamoto, Lotte Kanagawa Branch
We have concluded this tripartite agreement with the aim of helping Aikawa Town realize its goal of "A bright Aikawa rich in heart, where all residents join hands to actively practice health promotion and share the joy of living together." By utilizing Lotte's unique strengths and technologies, we hope to contribute to the promotion of everyone's health through all-age initiatives. These include countermeasures against oral frailty, health awareness activities for adults regarding teeth and mouths, and the development of oral functions and maintenance of dental health in early childhood.
Following an invitation from the Atsugi Dental Association, we were introduced to Aikawa Town, which falls under their jurisdiction, leading to the conclusion of this cooperation agreement.
Under our company's sustainability goal, "Lotte Mirai Challenge 2048," one of our objectives is to popularize health promotion through "chewing," and we are driving research and awareness activities regarding the relationship between chewing and health. We are also engaged in activities such as maintaining dental health in early childhood using xylitol.
Furthermore, to mitigate health hazards caused by secondary disasters in the event of an emergency, we will provide disaster victim support to Aikawa Town, including the supply of goods such as xylitol-infused gum and tablets as tools to protect oral health.
Reference Material: What is Oral Frailty?
Oral frailty refers to "minor decline in oral function." If minor declines in oral function are left untreated or without appropriate countermeasures, it is believed to lead to an imbalance in nutrition and systemic decline, and it is drawing attention as an "important sign indicating the onset of aging."
In fact, a continuous study checking the oral functions of the elderly reported that individuals with oral frailty have approximately double the risk of experiencing physical decline such as "physical frailty" and "sarcopenia" two years later, and the risk of requiring "nursing care certification" or "death" four years later (*1).
*1 Source: Tanaka et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018;73(12):1661-1667