Kanagawa Prefecture Kiyokawa Village, Atsugi Dental Association, and Lotte Conclude "Cooperation Agreement for Promoting Oral Health of Kiyokawa Villagers"
Lotte Corporation, the Atsugi Dental Association, and Kiyokawa Village have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at promoting the oral health of Kiyokawa villagers. This agreement will facilitate collaboration on initiatives for all age groups, including disaster support. This marks Lotte's 24th cooperation agreement related to oral health.
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- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 16:59 (6h 27m after Collected)
Lotte Corporation (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hideki Nakajima, hereinafter "Lotte"), Kiyokawa Village (Kiyokawa Village, Aiko-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture; Mayor: Yoshimi Iwasawa, hereinafter "Kiyokawa Village"), and the General Incorporated Association Atsugi Dental Association (Atsugi City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Chairman: Shinji Hori, hereinafter "Atsugi Dental Association") concluded a "Cooperation Agreement for Promoting Oral Health of Kiyokawa Villagers" on Thursday, April 9, 2026. This is the 24th cooperation agreement related to oral health for Lotte.
Through maintaining and improving the oral environment of Kiyokawa villagers, the three parties will cooperate and collaborate to promote dental and oral health, enabling them to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
The signing ceremony held at Kiyokawa Village Hall on Thursday, April 9, 2026 (From left: Atsugi Dental Association Chairman Shinji Hori, Kiyokawa Village Mayor Yoshimi Iwasawa, Lotte Kanagawa Branch Manager Toshiyuki Okamoto)
● Main Contents of this Agreement
- Matters related to various initiatives undertaken by Kiyokawa Village through dental and oral health promotion.
- Promotion of dental and oral health for villagers.
- Dissemination and awareness of the importance of "chewing" and correct knowledge.
- Dissemination and awareness of correct knowledge for acquiring, maintaining, and improving oral functions.
- Support for disaster victims, including provision of supplies during disasters.
- Other matters necessary for achieving the purpose of this agreement.
*Since its founding in 1948, Lotte has leveraged its accumulated expertise in "chewing" and "xylitol" as various tools to contribute to the dental and oral health promotion of Kiyokawa villagers.
● Agreement Signing Ceremony
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Location: Kiyokawa Village Hall
Attendees: Kiyokawa Village Mayor Yoshimi Iwasawa
Atsugi Dental Association Chairman Shinji Hori
Lotte Kanagawa Branch Manager Toshiyuki Okamoto
● Comment from Toshiyuki Okamoto, Lotte Kanagawa Branch Manager
We have concluded this tripartite agreement with the aim of realizing Kiyokawa Village's goal of "creating a village where residents can live healthy and supportive lives throughout their lives." We aim to contribute to the promotion of everyone's health by utilizing Lotte's unique strengths and technologies in comprehensive initiatives for all age groups, including measures against oral frailty, oral health promotion activities for adults, and oral function development and dental health maintenance in early childhood.
Through the introduction of Kiyokawa Village by the Atsugi Dental Association, we have proceeded to conclude this cooperation agreement.
Our company's sustainability goal, "Lotte Mirai Challenge 2048," includes promoting health through "chewing" as one of its objectives, and we are advancing research and awareness activities related to chewing and health. We also engage in activities such as maintaining children's dental health using xylitol.
Furthermore, to mitigate health damage from secondary disasters in the event of a disaster in Kiyokawa Village, we will provide support for disaster victims, including the provision of oral health protection tools such as xylitol-containing gum and tablets.
Reference Material: What is Oral Frailty?
Oral frailty refers to "minor declines in oral function." If minor declines in oral function are left unaddressed or not properly managed, it can lead to nutritional imbalance and overall physical decline, and is attracting attention as an "important sign indicating the beginning of aging."
In fact, a longitudinal study that checked the oral functions of elderly individuals found that those with oral frailty had approximately double the risk of "physical frailty" and "sarcopenia" (decline in physical function) after two years, and an increased risk of "certified long-term care" and "death" after four years (※1).
※1 Source: Tanaka et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018;73(12):1661-1667
Lotte Corporation
https://www.lotte.co.jp/
Through maintaining and improving the oral environment of Kiyokawa villagers, the three parties will cooperate and collaborate to promote dental and oral health, enabling them to live healthy and fulfilling lives.
The signing ceremony held at Kiyokawa Village Hall on Thursday, April 9, 2026 (From left: Atsugi Dental Association Chairman Shinji Hori, Kiyokawa Village Mayor Yoshimi Iwasawa, Lotte Kanagawa Branch Manager Toshiyuki Okamoto)
● Main Contents of this Agreement
- Matters related to various initiatives undertaken by Kiyokawa Village through dental and oral health promotion.
- Promotion of dental and oral health for villagers.
- Dissemination and awareness of the importance of "chewing" and correct knowledge.
- Dissemination and awareness of correct knowledge for acquiring, maintaining, and improving oral functions.
- Support for disaster victims, including provision of supplies during disasters.
- Other matters necessary for achieving the purpose of this agreement.
*Since its founding in 1948, Lotte has leveraged its accumulated expertise in "chewing" and "xylitol" as various tools to contribute to the dental and oral health promotion of Kiyokawa villagers.
● Agreement Signing Ceremony
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Location: Kiyokawa Village Hall
Attendees: Kiyokawa Village Mayor Yoshimi Iwasawa
Atsugi Dental Association Chairman Shinji Hori
Lotte Kanagawa Branch Manager Toshiyuki Okamoto
● Comment from Toshiyuki Okamoto, Lotte Kanagawa Branch Manager
We have concluded this tripartite agreement with the aim of realizing Kiyokawa Village's goal of "creating a village where residents can live healthy and supportive lives throughout their lives." We aim to contribute to the promotion of everyone's health by utilizing Lotte's unique strengths and technologies in comprehensive initiatives for all age groups, including measures against oral frailty, oral health promotion activities for adults, and oral function development and dental health maintenance in early childhood.
Through the introduction of Kiyokawa Village by the Atsugi Dental Association, we have proceeded to conclude this cooperation agreement.
Our company's sustainability goal, "Lotte Mirai Challenge 2048," includes promoting health through "chewing" as one of its objectives, and we are advancing research and awareness activities related to chewing and health. We also engage in activities such as maintaining children's dental health using xylitol.
Furthermore, to mitigate health damage from secondary disasters in the event of a disaster in Kiyokawa Village, we will provide support for disaster victims, including the provision of oral health protection tools such as xylitol-containing gum and tablets.
Reference Material: What is Oral Frailty?
Oral frailty refers to "minor declines in oral function." If minor declines in oral function are left unaddressed or not properly managed, it can lead to nutritional imbalance and overall physical decline, and is attracting attention as an "important sign indicating the beginning of aging."
In fact, a longitudinal study that checked the oral functions of elderly individuals found that those with oral frailty had approximately double the risk of "physical frailty" and "sarcopenia" (decline in physical function) after two years, and an increased risk of "certified long-term care" and "death" after four years (※1).
※1 Source: Tanaka et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018;73(12):1661-1667
Lotte Corporation
https://www.lotte.co.jp/