Pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, life, and career. Toward an ideal company where everyone thrives. Changing the norms of work and parenting with midwives for the 'You of 10 years from now.' #AprilDream

To you, currently in your third year of junior high school

The cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom, and this is the time when a new season begins.

I am writing this letter because I want to talk to you about the not-too-distant future.

Imagine yourself 10 years from now.

Perhaps you are chasing your dreams abroad. Perhaps you have met someone you love and are building a new family. Or perhaps you are working hard and shining at the center of society.

Now, take a look at the people around you.

Your mother who raised you,

The adult women working hard around you,

Do you realize how desperately they are running between work and parenting?

Even with convenient appliances, delivery services, and the cooperation of a partner,

They are "mothers," "workers," and "individuals" all at once.

They are superwomen juggling many roles.

10 years from now, when you enter society,

Can you imagine the future?

I want to create a future where you don't have to give up either "life" or "work,"

but can naturally choose both.

It was from this strong determination that I founded PROTON.

The future 10 years from now will surely exceed what you can imagine today.

To pass the best baton to you 10 years from now. With love and determination,

　　　　　　Yoko Ochiai, Representative Midwife, PROTON

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Why do midwives change companies?

Nice to meet you. My name is Yoko Ochiai, Representative Midwife at PROTON. Midwives are qualified nurses, and among them, they are one in a hundred—experts in the mind and body who can be involved in a woman's entire life, not just pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.

(38,721 people, according to the 2024 Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Health Administration Report)

Having listened to the voices of hundreds of mothers at maternity clinics and through online consultations, here is what I have realized:

--- It is the reality that "women are unable to fully convey the actual situations they are facing to their companies or workplaces. Symptoms and progress are often too individual to be understood, and companies and workplaces very often fail to grasp the reality."

--- I don't want to be a burden to my workplace. I want to be seen as a necessary person. I want to continue because I love this job.

But,

Juggling multiple roles in a 24-hour day is pushing my mind and body to the limit. Should I give up one or the other...?

I have heard such voices many times.

Even if systems exist, they will not function if there is no expert within the company who understands the reality of the mind and body.

--- Just as companies have industrial physicians, it should be natural for companies to have "midwives." I believe that creating such a culture will change society and organizations as a whole.

---

To ensure this doesn't end as a dream, PROTON delivers. Why not try our "Training program to experience pre- and post-natal issues through a board game"?

A sugoroku-style board game that begins in the pregnancy period. Each square represents a week of pregnancy. Based on events and happenings that occur in the game, participants move their pieces toward the goal (childbirth) while engaging in dialogue about the often-misunderstood changes in the mind and body.

■ From "knowing" to "feeling" through simulated experience

Physical changes, anxiety about reporting to the workplace, misunderstandings with partners. Even if you think you "know" it as knowledge, through the re-experience and dialogue in the game, it turns into the realization that "it is this difficult."

■ Managers, HR, singles, and those without children—everyone is a participant

Those who thought "it has nothing to do with me" are the stars of this game. Whether you have children or not is irrelevant. Once you sit around the table, you can share the same experience regardless of your position.

■ "Dialogue" born every time you land on a square—something AI cannot replace

Every time you land on a square, participants communicate with each other. "What would you do?" "What kind of support can we provide at our company?" Such questions arise naturally.

Turn off your smartphones and face each other in the intentionally "low-tech" style of an analog board game; honest dialogue between colleagues will emerge.

■ The significance of having a midwife as a facilitator

Midwives are experts involved in a woman's entire life. The pre- and post-natal field is a professional area held by those with dual qualifications as nurses and midwives. Regarding events and happenings in the game, we can explain difficult-to-understand symptoms and how to respond to changes in the mind and body.

The accumulation of that dialogue, combined with the presence of a midwife—an expert in perinatal medicine—becomes a solid step toward a "workplace where everyone can work easily."

Caption: Scene from the 2025 Saitama City Gender Equality Promotion Citizen Planning Course. Not only pregnant women, but also couples, business owners, managers, and local government officials participated.

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April Dream Exclusive: Special Trial Offer

"What kind of scenery do you want to show the children 10 years from now?"

To all corporate representatives reading this article.

PROTON will join you in taking the first step toward an organization where everyone can naturally balance career and life and shine as themselves.

This April 1st, as an April Dream, we declare our "dream."

And that dream has already begun to move...

【April Dream Exclusive: Special Trial Implementation】

We are offering a special trial for companies considering the introduction of this program.

Please inquire here for details. (Jumps to the April Dream exclusive special page URL)

▶ Other inquiries: info-web@proton-45.com

▶ Official Website: https://proton-45.com

▶ Sango Quest: https://sangoquest.com