Ozu Town, Japan Post, and PROVIGATE Collaborate: Social Demonstration of Regional Healthcare Model Begins as Part of NEDO "Deep Tech Startup Support Fund / Deep Tech Startup Support Project (DTSU)" R&D

A New Regional Healthcare Model Starting from Post Offices

Ozu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture (Mayor: Hideki Kaneda), Japan Post Co., Ltd. (Ozu Town Post Office, Kumamoto Prefecture), and PROVIGATE Inc. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Yasunobu Sekimizu) signed a three-party agreement on July 9, 2026, concerning the "Social Demonstration Project for Blood Glucose Management Support Utilizing At-Home Saliva Testing."

This project is being implemented with support from the DMP (Demonstration of Mass Production) phase of the "Deep Tech Startup Support Fund / Deep Tech Startup Support Project (DTSU)" by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NEDO).

The municipality, Japan Post, and a deep tech startup will bring together their respective strengths to advance a social demonstration of a new regional healthcare model that integrates "at-home testing," "Japan Post's network," and "digital health."

In this project, we will verify a system that supports residents' health promotion in their daily lives by combining the "visualization of blood glucose status" using saliva glycoalbumin (GA) collected at home, specimen logistics utilizing the Japan Post network, and continuous health support via a smartphone app.

Based on the knowledge gained in Ozu Town, we aim to build a sustainable regional healthcare model in Japan, with a view to expanding it to the entire Kumamoto Prefecture and eventually to municipalities nationwide.

Regional Healthcare Needs a New System Today

In Japan, it is estimated that approximately 20 million people are strongly suspected of having diabetes or cannot rule out the possibility. Lifestyle-related diseases, including diabetes, not only shorten healthy life expectancy but are also a major cause of increased medical costs.

Meanwhile, the environment surrounding regional healthcare in Japan is undergoing significant changes, including:

Advancing aging population

Shortage of personnel supporting regional healthcare

Increase in medical costs

Disparities in healthcare between regions

Moving forward, a shift is required from merely "treating illnesses after they occur" to a system where "each resident grasps their own health status in daily life, and the entire community supports health promotion."

This project is a social demonstration to verify the feasibility of this new regional healthcare model.

Why Japan Post?

With approximately 24,000 post offices nationwide, Japan Post is one of the largest regional infrastructures in Japan. Through postal, financial, and administrative services, it supports local communities across the country as the closest entity to the daily lives of residents.

In this project, we will utilize this Japan Post network to verify its potential as:

A hub for providing health information to local residents

A collection and delivery point for specimens collected at home

A regional lifestyle support platform

This is also an endeavor to create a new regional healthcare model where post offices become centers supporting the health of local residents.

What is Saliva Glycoalbumin (GA)?

Health checkups are typically once a year. Outpatient visits are also every few months. However, lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise change daily. To improve lifestyle habits, it is important to be able to grasp "how the results have changed" in a timely manner.

PROVIGATE is focusing on "glycoalbumin (GA)," an indirect indicator of average blood glucose levels, and is engaged in research and development of technology to continuously monitor blood glucose status using saliva collected at home.

In this project, residents will mail in saliva GA tests weekly, and the test results will be visualized on a smartphone application to support behavioral changes in participants.

Overview of the Social Demonstration

In this project, the following will be implemented in Ozu Town:

Weekly monitoring of blood glucose status using mail-in saliva GA testing

Verification of a specimen collection and delivery model utilizing the Japan Post network

Health management and behavioral change support using a smartphone app

Evaluation of participation rate, retention rate, health improvement effects, and medical economics

Verification of implementation feasibility as a regional healthcare model deployable nationwide

Roles of the Three Parties

Ozu Town, Kumamoto Prefecture

Ozu Town will be responsible for collaboration with regional healthcare policies, publicizing and recruiting participants among residents, and coordinating with related organizations, linking this project to regional health promotion.

Japan Post Co., Ltd.

Japan Post will be responsible for public relations activities utilizing the Ozu Town post office network, specimen logistics, and creating points of contact with local residents, supporting this project as regional infrastructure.

PROVIGATE Inc.

PROVIGATE will be responsible for the overall planning and operation of this project, as well as saliva testing services, smartphone app, user support, data analysis, and project evaluation.

Features of This Project

1. A New Regional Healthcare Model Collaborating Municipalities, Japan Post, and Deep Tech Startups

We will build a health support model that aligns with residents' daily lives by integrating municipal health services, the Japan Post network, and university-originated deep tech.

2. At-Home Health Management Without Blood Collection

We aim to realize new health management that allows residents to continuously check their blood glucose status using saliva collected at home, leading to lifestyle improvements.

3. Social Implementation Utilizing the Japan Post Network

We will verify a system that is easy for everyone to use by leveraging post offices, which are deeply rooted in the community, as logistics, public relations, and contact points with residents.

4. Social Implementation of Deep Tech by NEDO DTSU

This project is an initiative to connect research results to social implementation as part of the R&D for the DMP phase of the NEDO "Deep Tech Startup Support Fund / Deep Tech Startup Support Project (DTSU)."

5. Aiming for a Model Deployable Nationwide

Based on the knowledge gained from this demonstration, we aim to expand this new regional healthcare model, which integrates municipalities, regional infrastructure, and digital health, nationwide.

The Future This Project Aims For

Lifestyle-related diseases are not challenges that can be solved by medical institutions alone. By residents grasping their own health status in daily life and accumulating small lifestyle improvements, it leads to the prevention of severe conditions in the future.

This project aims to build a new regional healthcare model where residents can continue health management without strain, by combining:

Municipalities

Post offices as regional infrastructure

University-originated deep tech

By collaborating administrative bodies closely connected to the community, Japan Post, and the latest digital health technology, we will verify the potential of a new social infrastructure that "supports health promotion across the entire community."

We will expand the knowledge gained from this demonstration nationwide and contribute to extending healthy life expectancy and realizing sustainable regional healthcare.

Future Plans

Starting with a resident participation-based social demonstration from FY2026, we will proceed with verification of:

User retention rate

Changes in health behaviors

Health improvement effects

Medical economics

Effectiveness as a regional healthcare model

Furthermore, based on the knowledge gained through this demonstration, we aim to deploy a new regional healthcare model nationwide, integrating municipalities, regional infrastructure, and digital health companies.

About DTSU

This project aims to significantly promote investment in deep tech startups and the creation of unicorns, while also accelerating the business growth of deep tech startups, the establishment, commercialization, and social implementation of their innovative technologies, and the creation of new added value associated therewith, with a view to the global market.

About PROVIGATE Inc.

PROVIGATE Inc. is a deep tech startup originating from the University of Tokyo.

With the vision of "unlocking the power of behavior change," we are engaged in the research, development, and social implementation of blood glucose management support services using glycoalbumin (GA) as an indicator.

By integrating saliva testing technology that does not require blood collection with digital health, we aim to contribute to the prevention of severe lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes, the extension of healthy life expectancy, and the realization of sustainable healthcare.

Company Profile

Company Name PROVIGATE Inc.

Location 2-3-10 Mukogaoka, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

Todai-mae HiRAKU GATE 5F

Representative Yasunobu Sekimizu, President & CEO

Business Description Development of home blood glucose monitoring devices and applications, provision of related services

Contact for Inquiries

PROVIGATE Inc.

https://provigate.com/contact/

(Contact: Horika)