Oticon Hearing Aids to Hold 2026 Mimitomo Summer Camp for Future Hearing Care Professionals

Oticon Hearing Aids, the flagship hearing aid brand of the global hearing care group Demant with a history of more than 120 years, will hold the “Oticon Hearing Aids Mimitomo Summer Camp” from Thursday, August 6 to Saturday, August 8, 2026. The program is designed to develop next-generation hearing care professionals and is aimed at students aspiring to become speech-language-hearing therapists. For the first time, the event venue will be changed to Grand Lectore Yugawara, a residential training facility surrounded by nature in Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Applications will be accepted through a special website from Monday, May 18 to Friday, June 5, 2026. Oticon Hearing Aids continually challenges the limits of hearing care technology and develops hearing aid technologies that can change the lives of people with hearing difficulties. The company also works with hearing professionals to provide high-quality hearing care to more people around the world. In Japan, where Oticon has operated for more than 50 years, the company has introduced advanced products to the market while providing information to specialists and raising public awareness of hearing care in order to improve domestic hearing aid adoption. Although Japan is aging faster than many other countries, its hearing aid adoption rate remains low compared with Western countries, at 15.6% according to the latest JapanTrak 2025. While there are various reasons for this, one major factor is said to be the shortage of hearing specialists. Japan has no national qualification equivalent to audiologists overseas, resulting in a lack of hearing care professionals. Speech-language-hearing therapists are considered a comparable qualification, but only around 10% of them are said to specialize in hearing. To address this challenge, Oticon launched the event in 2019 with the aim of developing professionals who will support the future of hearing care and revitalizing the industry. This year marks the eighth edition, with the 2020 and 2021 events held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program features lectures by leading professionals in Japan, including speech-language-hearing therapists specializing in hearing, audiologists, and physicians certified for hearing aid fitting evaluation. These sessions explain the role and importance of speech-language-hearing therapists in the hearing field, as well as future career opportunities and potential. The event also offers special content that lets participants experience Demant’s latest knowledge and equipment. One of the most highly rated aspects among participants is the opportunity to meet peers with the same aspirations. Participants have reportedly continued exchanging information after the event and have built relationships in which they encourage each other toward shared goals. Key features of the Mimitomo Summer Camp include opportunities to hear directly from active senior speech-language-hearing therapists about their experiences; learning the latest hearing-related knowledge and information from speakers in Japan and overseas; hands-on programs such as VR-based simulated hearing loss experiences and trials of the latest hearing aids; tours of the manufacturing process for advanced hearing aids to deepen understanding of product development and field operations; and an environment that fosters interaction among students with common goals through shared residential training in Yugawara. Oticon Hearing Aids President Toru Saito commented: “We find it extremely meaningful to hold the Mimitomo Summer Camp again this year and contribute to the training of future professionals. More than 200 people have participated in past events. Some alumni were inspired by this event to seriously pursue careers as speech-language-hearing therapists in the hearing field and are now working in otolaryngology departments at university hospitals. We are very pleased to see these outcomes. We look forward to meeting many highly motivated participants again this year.” The event will take place from August 6 to 8, 2026, at Grand Lectore Yugawara. The participation fee is 10,000 yen including tax, covering seminar, accommodation, and meal costs. Transportation subsidies are also available; details are provided on the special website. Eligible applicants are students enrolled in training programs to become speech-language-hearing therapists, as well as students interested in hearing, regardless of school year. Capacity is limited to 30 participants, and applications will be accepted from May 18 to June 5, 2026. Participants will be selected by lottery from among applicants, and winners will be notified individually. A maximum of two students from the same training school may be selected; if the capacity is not filled, an additional lottery will be held. Oticon, founded in Denmark in 1904, is a pioneer in the hearing aid industry. Under its corporate philosophy of “Life-changing technology,” the company works to develop products and expand hearing care with the goal of creating a world without limitations caused by hearing loss. Oticon is the only hearing aid manufacturer with a basic research institute dedicated to hearing and the brain. Researchers in audiology, neuroscience, electronic engineering, and other fields, together with more than 13,000 test users, continuously generate advanced and innovative hearing aid technologies. Oticon’s defining feature is its BrainHearing approach, which considers hearing from the perspective of the brain. Rather than focusing only on how to deliver sound to the ear, its products focus on how to deliver sound that is easier for the brain to understand. Supported by reliable evidence from third-party organizations, Oticon products are used in more than 100 countries worldwide. The company has manufactured and sold hearing aids in Japan since 1973. Demant is one of the world’s leading hearing healthcare groups. It began in 1904 in Odense, Denmark, as an importer of hearing aids. Today, the group provides innovative technologies, solutions, and expertise across hearing care, hearing aids, diagnostic equipment, and related services, aiming to make a significant difference in people’s lives through hearing healthcare. Headquartered in Denmark, the group operates in 130 countries with more than 26,000 employees worldwide. A majority of Demant A/S shares are held by the William Demant Foundation, a charitable foundation. Demant A/S is listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen and is among the 25 most traded stocks on the exchange.