SOXAI Concludes Performance Improvement Partner Contract with Japan Blind Football Association
SOXAI Co., Ltd. has partnered with the Japan Blind Football Association (JBFA) to provide their "SOXAI RING 2" smart ring to the national blind football teams. This collaboration aims to enhance athlete performance through comprehensive condition management, focusing on sleep and activity, in preparation for the IBSA Blind Football Asia Championship 2026. The partnership also seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals with visual impairments.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 23:43
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 15:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 15, 2026 at 20:50 (5h 48m after Collected)
SOXAI Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Tatsuhiko Watanabe, hereinafter "SOXAI") has concluded a Performance Improvement Partner Contract with the Japan Blind Football Association (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo - Chairperson: Hisako Kaneko, hereinafter "JBFA"). The contract period is for one year, from April 15, 2026, to the end of March 2027. SOXAI will provide the domestic sleep management smart ring "SOXAI RING 2" to the designated strengthening players for the Japan Men's and Women's Blind Football National Teams competing in the IBSA Blind Football Asia Championship 2026 in Umekita, and will support comprehensive condition management centered on sleep.
**Background of the Performance Improvement Partner Contract**
The background to this contract signing includes the increasing attention on parasports as a whole and the growing importance of utilizing technology for athlete performance improvement. Notably, 2026 is a significant year with the IBSA Blind Football Asia Championship 2026 in Umekita, held in Japan from April 15th, on the horizon, and expectations are high for the condition management of the Japanese national teams.
**Support Details by SOXAI RING 2**
The "SOXAI RING 2" will be provided to the designated strengthening players for the Japan Men's and Women's Blind Football National Teams. Through a comprehensive Quality of Life (QoL) score calculated from three indicators – sleep score, physical condition score, and activity score – athletes will be able to objectively grasp daily changes in their condition.
In blind football, a sport that does not rely on sight, the ability for athletes to numerically grasp their physical condition holds significant importance for adjusting training intensity and optimizing fatigue recovery. With its world's thinnest profile of 6.7mm and a long-lasting battery of up to 14 days, continuous data acquisition is possible from daily life to training and matches.
**Comment from Tatsuhiko Watanabe, President and CEO of SOXAI Co., Ltd.**
I am greatly honored to have concluded this Performance Improvement Partner Contract with the Japan Blind Football Association. We are a startup that independently develops, manufactures, and sells the ring-type wearable device "SOXAI RING". Our compact and lightweight product can measure and manage the wearer's sleep and activity status stress-free, with minimal burden of wear.
Blind football is a sport that demands high concentration, played by honing the senses of the entire body other than sight, and we believe that the quality of daily conditioning directly correlates with competitive performance. Based on the data acquired through SOXAI RING, we will provide optimized condition management and recovery support for each athlete, contributing to higher performance.
Furthermore, through this initiative, we will feed back the insights gained from top athletes' experiences into the further evolution of our products and services, striving to contribute not only to the sports field but also to the health and performance improvement of many people. We sincerely support the continued success of the Japan Blind Football National Teams and strongly anticipate that this partnership will lead to improved athletic performance and the creation of new value.
**Comment from Hisako Kaneko, Chairperson of the NPO Japan Blind Football Association**
"I feel greatly reassured to have concluded this Performance Improvement Partner Contract with SOXAI Co., Ltd.
The Japan Blind Football National Team has been working on improving its athletic performance from various angles based on the concept of total conditioning. Among these, "sleep" is an extremely important element supporting athlete performance, yet it has had aspects where reliance on subjective evaluation was unavoidable.
This time, by utilizing SOXAI RING 2, we expect that the establishment of an environment where data including sleep and activity levels can be objectively grasped and analyzed will lead to the realization of more scientific and individually optimized conditioning.
Furthermore, this initiative holds the potential not only to improve athletes' competitive performance but also to contribute to improving the quality of life for people with visual impairments. Visualizing activity levels and sleep patterns in daily life can aid in understanding one's own condition and establishing a better life rhythm.
For us, who aim to realize a "society where visually impaired individuals and sighted individuals blend in naturally" through blind football, this partnership is an important step towards creating new value. Moving forward, together with SOXAI Co., Ltd., we will work towards achieving both the development of the sport and the resolution of social issues."
**Future Developments**
Through this contract, SOXAI will also gain opportunities such as participating in the corporate training program "OFF T!ME biz" offered by JBFA and attending partner exchange meetings. This will deepen collaboration between the sports and healthcare industries, promoting health improvement initiatives on a broader scale.
**About "SOXAI RING 2"**
On December 10, 2025, we launched the "SOXAI RING 2," a new model of the Japanese-developed sleep management smart ring "SOXAI RING," which we develop and sell. The new "SOXAI RING 2" features the newly equipped "Deep Sensing™" (Deep Sensing) ※1, a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor developed in-house utilizing cutting-edge optical technology patented by us. This has significantly improved measurement accuracy, enabling visualization of changes in physical condition at a deeper level. Furthermore, with a size of 6.7mm, the world's thinnest profile ※2, and a continuous usage time of up to 14 days, among the world's longest ※3, it offers more comfortable use even when worn for extended periods.
For details, please check here.
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000039.000089024.html
※1 "Spatial resolved spectroscopic multi-wavelength PPG" (Spatial resolved spectroscopic multi-wavelength PPG technology) is patented (Patent No. 7655609).
※2 World's Thinnest: Comparison based on publicly available information from major smart ring manufacturers developing "smart rings with vital sensing function and continuous operating time of 4 days or more" (SOXAI research, as of December 10, 2025).
※3 World's Longest: Comparison based on publicly available information from major smart ring manufacturers developing "smart rings with vital sensing function and continuous operating time of 4 days or more." The battery installed varies by size; 14 days applies to sizes 20-26. This may vary depending on ring size, usage conditions, firmware version, and battery aging. (SOXAI research, as of December 10, 2025).
**About SOXAI**
SOXAI is a health-tech company founded in 2021 with the vision of "Healthcare into Lifestyle." By adapting vital sensing technology to all aspects of daily life, we aim to realize a world where people naturally engage in health promotion.
https://soxai.co.jp/pages/about-us
**Company Overview**
Headquarters: 1-2-1 Furōchō, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture
Representative: Tatsuhiko Watanabe, Representative Director
Founded: 2021
Media Inquiries Regarding This Press Release
SOXAI Co., Ltd.
Atsuki Mitsu Yori, Director, Vice President, CFO
Phone: 045-264-9397
Email: info@soxai.co.jp
**Background of the Performance Improvement Partner Contract**
The background to this contract signing includes the increasing attention on parasports as a whole and the growing importance of utilizing technology for athlete performance improvement. Notably, 2026 is a significant year with the IBSA Blind Football Asia Championship 2026 in Umekita, held in Japan from April 15th, on the horizon, and expectations are high for the condition management of the Japanese national teams.
**Support Details by SOXAI RING 2**
The "SOXAI RING 2" will be provided to the designated strengthening players for the Japan Men's and Women's Blind Football National Teams. Through a comprehensive Quality of Life (QoL) score calculated from three indicators – sleep score, physical condition score, and activity score – athletes will be able to objectively grasp daily changes in their condition.
In blind football, a sport that does not rely on sight, the ability for athletes to numerically grasp their physical condition holds significant importance for adjusting training intensity and optimizing fatigue recovery. With its world's thinnest profile of 6.7mm and a long-lasting battery of up to 14 days, continuous data acquisition is possible from daily life to training and matches.
**Comment from Tatsuhiko Watanabe, President and CEO of SOXAI Co., Ltd.**
I am greatly honored to have concluded this Performance Improvement Partner Contract with the Japan Blind Football Association. We are a startup that independently develops, manufactures, and sells the ring-type wearable device "SOXAI RING". Our compact and lightweight product can measure and manage the wearer's sleep and activity status stress-free, with minimal burden of wear.
Blind football is a sport that demands high concentration, played by honing the senses of the entire body other than sight, and we believe that the quality of daily conditioning directly correlates with competitive performance. Based on the data acquired through SOXAI RING, we will provide optimized condition management and recovery support for each athlete, contributing to higher performance.
Furthermore, through this initiative, we will feed back the insights gained from top athletes' experiences into the further evolution of our products and services, striving to contribute not only to the sports field but also to the health and performance improvement of many people. We sincerely support the continued success of the Japan Blind Football National Teams and strongly anticipate that this partnership will lead to improved athletic performance and the creation of new value.
**Comment from Hisako Kaneko, Chairperson of the NPO Japan Blind Football Association**
"I feel greatly reassured to have concluded this Performance Improvement Partner Contract with SOXAI Co., Ltd.
The Japan Blind Football National Team has been working on improving its athletic performance from various angles based on the concept of total conditioning. Among these, "sleep" is an extremely important element supporting athlete performance, yet it has had aspects where reliance on subjective evaluation was unavoidable.
This time, by utilizing SOXAI RING 2, we expect that the establishment of an environment where data including sleep and activity levels can be objectively grasped and analyzed will lead to the realization of more scientific and individually optimized conditioning.
Furthermore, this initiative holds the potential not only to improve athletes' competitive performance but also to contribute to improving the quality of life for people with visual impairments. Visualizing activity levels and sleep patterns in daily life can aid in understanding one's own condition and establishing a better life rhythm.
For us, who aim to realize a "society where visually impaired individuals and sighted individuals blend in naturally" through blind football, this partnership is an important step towards creating new value. Moving forward, together with SOXAI Co., Ltd., we will work towards achieving both the development of the sport and the resolution of social issues."
**Future Developments**
Through this contract, SOXAI will also gain opportunities such as participating in the corporate training program "OFF T!ME biz" offered by JBFA and attending partner exchange meetings. This will deepen collaboration between the sports and healthcare industries, promoting health improvement initiatives on a broader scale.
**About "SOXAI RING 2"**
On December 10, 2025, we launched the "SOXAI RING 2," a new model of the Japanese-developed sleep management smart ring "SOXAI RING," which we develop and sell. The new "SOXAI RING 2" features the newly equipped "Deep Sensing™" (Deep Sensing) ※1, a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor developed in-house utilizing cutting-edge optical technology patented by us. This has significantly improved measurement accuracy, enabling visualization of changes in physical condition at a deeper level. Furthermore, with a size of 6.7mm, the world's thinnest profile ※2, and a continuous usage time of up to 14 days, among the world's longest ※3, it offers more comfortable use even when worn for extended periods.
For details, please check here.
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000039.000089024.html
※1 "Spatial resolved spectroscopic multi-wavelength PPG" (Spatial resolved spectroscopic multi-wavelength PPG technology) is patented (Patent No. 7655609).
※2 World's Thinnest: Comparison based on publicly available information from major smart ring manufacturers developing "smart rings with vital sensing function and continuous operating time of 4 days or more" (SOXAI research, as of December 10, 2025).
※3 World's Longest: Comparison based on publicly available information from major smart ring manufacturers developing "smart rings with vital sensing function and continuous operating time of 4 days or more." The battery installed varies by size; 14 days applies to sizes 20-26. This may vary depending on ring size, usage conditions, firmware version, and battery aging. (SOXAI research, as of December 10, 2025).
**About SOXAI**
SOXAI is a health-tech company founded in 2021 with the vision of "Healthcare into Lifestyle." By adapting vital sensing technology to all aspects of daily life, we aim to realize a world where people naturally engage in health promotion.
https://soxai.co.jp/pages/about-us
**Company Overview**
Headquarters: 1-2-1 Furōchō, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture
Representative: Tatsuhiko Watanabe, Representative Director
Founded: 2021
Media Inquiries Regarding This Press Release
SOXAI Co., Ltd.
Atsuki Mitsu Yori, Director, Vice President, CFO
Phone: 045-264-9397
Email: info@soxai.co.jp