Fitness Club 'Assist24' — Operating Only in Regional Areas and Succeeding Locally — Strengthens Franchise Partner Recruitment Across Japan's Regional Cities. Online Event on 7/30.

Exercise and human connection. A community-based fitness experience that thrives because it has staff.

A model that achieves profitability with a small number of members.

'Assist24,' a 24-hour fitness club born in Oita and specialized in Japan's regional cities, will hold a dialogue-style online event on Thursday, July 30, to promote franchise partner recruitment across regional cities nationwide. The event is organized by Ascendia Holdings, Inc. (CEO: Teruya Akira), the company supporting the franchise expansion of Assist24.

While competition among 24-hour unmanned fitness facilities intensifies in urban areas, heading toward saturation, Japan's fitness participation rate remains only a fraction of that in Europe and the U.S. In particular, the number of facilities per capita is significantly insufficient in regional areas. Assist24 addresses this 'gap in the regions' with its unique model of low investment, profitability with a small number of members, and manned operation.

Key Points of This Release

・【Contrarian Strategy】Opening only in regional cities, not in urban areas. Targeting areas where major chains hesitate to enter.

・【Market】The fitness market is projected to reach approximately 710 billion yen in FY2024, a record high (Teikoku Databank). Meanwhile, comprehensive clubs with pools are declining in market share, while 24-hour facilities have tripled in number over five years, becoming the new market leaders (Yano Research Institute).

・【Growth Potential】Japan's fitness participation rate is about 4–5%, one-fifth that of the U.S. (approx. 24%). The greatest shortage of facilities is in regional areas (Yano Research Institute).

・【Unique Value】A place not just for exercise, but to 'meet people.' The manned model fosters conversations among staff and members. This human connection is internationally recognized as a key factor in supporting elderly health.

・【Business Viability】Requires only about one-third the investment of major 24-hour fitness chains. Designed to reach break-even with a small number of members. Members can be acquired through pre-opening marketing activities (proven at the Sakaiminato branch).

1. The Choice to Operate Only in Regional Cities

Assist24 does not open in major urban centers like Tokyo or Osaka. Its locations are limited to regional cities such as Hagi, Izumo, Matsue, Sakaiminato, and Yamagata. Currently, its primary expansion areas are regional cities in Kyushu and the Chugoku region, including Oita, Yamaguchi, Shimane, Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto.

Why focus exclusively on regional areas? The answer lies in the lifestyle of people living in these areas—especially middle-aged and elderly individuals.

[Image] Assist24 Yasugi City Hall Front Store

2. Why Focus Only on Regional Areas?

The reason lies in the lifestyle of people in regional areas—particularly middle-aged and elderly individuals.

Picture a regional city. In Japan, where national health insurance makes medical consultations and medication affordable, local hospitals are always bustling with people. These hospitals serve not only as treatment centers but also as spaces where community members meet and talk—essentially the 'largest community space' in the region. People inherently seek places where they can interact and gather.

On the other hand, the 'distance between people' differs greatly between urban and regional areas. In densely populated cities, there is always someone nearby, even in silence. But in regional areas, opportunities to meet people only arise if one consciously goes out. That's why human interaction still holds significant value in regional areas.

Unmanned fitness facilities, operated entirely through apps, cannot fulfill this need. What people in regional areas—especially the elderly—seek is not screen-based service, but real, face-to-face 'connections.' This is precisely why Assist24 insists on manned operations and focuses on regional areas.

(*Note: This is not a commentary on healthcare or medical behavior. Assist24 aims to be 'another place to belong'—a space where people invest in health before illness and connect with others.)

3. 【Market Data①】Comprehensive Clubs Stagnate; 24-Hour Facilities Reshape the Market

It's often said that 'Japan has lacked fitness facilities,' but this is inaccurate. In the past, large comprehensive clubs with pools were the industry standard. However, this structure has changed significantly in recent years.

According to Yano Research Institute, comprehensive fitness facilities with pools and studios have remained nearly flat in number, while their market share has dropped from about 14% (2020) to about 9% (2025). In contrast, 24-hour facilities have surged—increasing from about 1,700 in 2020 to about 5,000 by 2025, tripling in five years. They are now the largest segment by facility type (36.3% share), becoming the dominant force among Japan's approximately 13,900 fitness facilities.

The overall market size is also expanding. The fitness market (based on operator revenue) is recovering strongly after a pandemic-induced downturn, projected to reach a record high of approximately 710 billion yen in FY2024 (Teikoku Databank). The number of stores operated by the top 15 major companies has grown to around 6,500—about 2.3 times more than a decade ago. The institute expects revenue growth to continue into FY2025.

In short—the market is growing, and its leading players are shifting from 'large, comprehensive clubs' to 'accessible 24-hour facilities.' Assist24 is positioned right at the heart of this structural shift, moving further from cities to regional areas.

4. 【Market Data②】Japan's Participation Rate is One-Fifth of the U.S. And the 'Biggest Shortage is in Regional Areas'

Despite this growth, Japan's fitness participation rate remains low. The rate of population participation in fitness is about 24% in the U.S. (as of end-2023) and over 20% in Nordic countries like Sweden, while Japan remains at about 4–5% (estimated from multiple industry surveys). In other words, while about 1 in 5 Americans participates, only about 1 in 20 Japanese do. This indicates significant room for growth.

And crucially, where is this growth potential located? According to Yano Research Institute's 2020 analysis of facilities per capita, the top prefectures with the highest population per facility—i.e., the most facility-deficient—are Ehime, Aomori, Kumamoto, Iwate, and Shimane—all regional areas. The institute points out that these underserved regional areas are precisely where small-scale, 24-hour facilities have room to expand. The latest 2025 survey also confirms that 24-hour facilities are expanding into regional areas, leveraging their low-cost operations.

Urban areas are already mature markets crowded with competitors. The untapped growth potential lies in regional areas—third-party data clearly shows this.

5. The Core of Assist24 — 'Community Fitness'

Here lies the most important philosophy of Assist24: the idea that 'coming to exercise' is actually just the starting point.

Members don't come solely to work out. They come to talk with staff and catch up with familiar members. That's why Assist24 deliberately avoids being unmanned and ensures staff are present during certain hours. Those who want guidance on equipment use come during staffed hours; those who want to exercise without being seen come at other times—designed to respect each individual's pace while fostering 'conversations' and 'familiar faces.'

This 'human connection' is more than just comfort in the aging societies of regional Japan—it is