IDEATECH Produces "Childcare Human Resources White Paper 2026 ~Childcare Careers in an Era of Declining Birthrate~" from Overall Planning to Publication, Supported by 6 Years of Strategic PR and Over 50 Risapi® (Research PR) Initiatives

IDEATECH Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Tomoo Ishikawa), a provider of "Hakupi®," white paper content that generates thought leadership, is pleased to announce that it has produced the "Childcare Human Resources White Paper 2026 ~Childcare Careers in an Era of Declining Birthrate~" from overall planning and structural design to research planning, execution, analysis, and page design, for Asuka Inc. (Headquarters: [Location]; Representative: [Representative Name]), a solution partner for childcare and child-rearing support.

IDEATECH's role in this white paper was not to conduct commissioned research, but to provide the "overall planning" for the white paper content. We were responsible for everything from concept design, which articulates the essence of the childcare human resources shortage as a "mismatch between working conditions and needed environments," to the three-part structure of statistical/institutional analysis, original research, and recommendations, the planning, execution, and analysis of two original surveys, the integration of research assets accumulated over six years, and the page design.

Defined the overall concept of the white paper as "the mismatch between working conditions and needed environments," and designed a three-part structure that builds from Part 1 (Statistical and Institutional Analysis), Part 2 (Understanding the Reality through Original Research), and Part 3 (Five Structural Recommendations).

Conducted and analyzed two original surveys targeting 108 current childcare workers, 93 inactive childcare workers, and 107 childcare workers who have searched for jobs in the childcare industry using web or AI in the past year (total 308 people), focusing on "Diverse Working Styles and Career Paths for Childcare Workers" and "Job Searching Activities for Childcare Human Resources in the AI Era."

Organized "retention challenges" and "re-employment conditions" in a comparable format through "symmetric design," which placed corresponding questions for current and inactive childcare workers. Objectively supported the structure of the childcare human resources shortage as a discrepancy in conditions on the worker's side.

Integrated Asuka's previously published regular surveys (on inappropriate childcare and social standards, childcare worker staffing ratios, ICT utilization in childcare settings, etc.) and various surveys for parents and students as supplementary data, structuring it as a "recommendation-oriented integrated white paper" that goes beyond single survey data.

In anticipation of the "Childcare System for All Children" to be fully implemented from fiscal year 2026, derived five structural recommendations for creating a system where childcare workers can "gather, stay, and move," addressing the need to build a "regional human resource allocation model" that extends beyond individual facilities.

IDEATECH's Support Area | What is "Overall Planning" for a White Paper?

IDEATECH's support in this white paper covers all of the following processes:

Concept Design: Articulated the central concept of the white paper, "the mismatch between working conditions and needed environments," based on government statistics, institutional reform trends, and six years of accumulated research.

Structural Planning: Designed the three-part structure of statistical/institutional analysis, original research, and recommendations, as well as the storyline for each chapter.

Research Planning and Design: Planned two main axes for research: symmetric design for current and inactive workers, and survey B to capture job-seeking behavior in the generative AI era.

Research Execution and Analysis: Conducted internet surveys, compiled and analyzed data, and extracted insights.

Integration of Research Assets: Edited and integrated ongoing regular surveys and existing research as supplementary data.

Page Design: Produced the overall design for the white paper, including graphs and charts.

Unlike single research reports, white papers require a high level of editorial skill to "define industry structural issues, support them with data, and present solutions." IDEATECH offers this overall white paper planning as "Hakupi®."

White Paper Information | Childcare Human Resources White Paper 2026 ~Childcare Careers in an Era of Declining Birthrate~

Japan's birthrate has fallen to approximately 687,000 in 2024, and the total fertility rate has hit a record low of 1.20, marking a structural turning point for childcare demand. On the other hand, while the number of registered childcare workers is around 1.79 million, only about 680,000 are actually working in childcare settings, with an estimated 1.11 million being so-called "inactive childcare workers."

Furthermore, the childcare system is facing multiple simultaneous turning points, including the revision of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Act to be fully implemented in April 2025, the "Childcare System for All Children" scheduled for full implementation from fiscal year 2026, and the first revision of childcare worker staffing standards in 76 years.

This white paper organizes the gaps between these institutional changes and the reality on the ground, based on original survey data from 108 current childcare workers, 93 inactive childcare workers, and 107 childcare workers with job search experience, and provides five structural recommendations for "creating a system where childcare workers can gather, stay, and move."

▼ Childcare Human Resources White Paper 2026 Download URL https://storage.googleapis.com/studio-design-asset-files/projects/p6aorjnJqR/s-1x1_25d62221-7650-4345-aa98-94bc9bc0e1cd.pdf

IDEATECH x Asuka | Culmination of 6 Years of Strategic PR Support

IDEATECH has been providing continuous strategic PR support to Asuka Inc. since 2019. Over these six years, we have planned and executed over 50 research releases through "Risapi®" (Research PR) and over 10 report releases through "Repopi®" (Report Marketing) incorporating unique analysis and recommendations, consistently supporting Asuka's information dissemination in the childcare and child-rearing domain.

During this period, we have continuously operated regular surveys on themes such as inappropriate childcare and social standards, revision of childcare worker staffing standards, and ICT utilization in childcare settings, building research assets that allow for year-on-year comparisons. The longitudinal data from 2023 and 2024 incorporated into this white paper is a direct result of this accumulation.

The "symmetric design of current vs. inactive" which forms the core of this white paper, and the integrated structure that bundles multiple surveys into a single set of recommendations, were made possible by the question design expertise honed through over 50 surveys and the accumulated regular survey data. IDEATECH will continue to support the creation of thought leadership through such long-term partnerships.

Comment from Mr. Tsuyoshi Suehiro of Asuka Inc.

Tsuyoshi Suehiro (Director / Director of Konekuto Lab / Part-time Lecturer at Surugadai University / Advanced Marketer (Certified by the Japan Marketing Association) / Psychological Counselor)

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to IDEATECH, who have supported our company's activities for many years, for the production of this Childcare Human Resources White Paper. They deeply understood our thoughts and goals, and meticulously supported us step by step, from concept design to research design, analysis, and page design. It is thanks to their assistance that we were able to shape the message we wanted to convey to society. We look forward to continuing to deliver new value to the future of childcare together.

<Biography> After graduating from Ritsumeikan University, he studied subculture/entertainment business in the UK. He planned and managed events at local child support facilities and also worked as a performer. He then worked at advertising agencies before entering the childcare industry. He has been involved in a wide range of fields in childcare and child-rearing support services, including human resources coordination, HR/recruitment, new facility openings, public relations, and training. He has interviewed over 1,200 childcare workers, from new graduates to facility managers. He conveys the importance of public relations strategy and organizational building in childcare facility management and is working to create an environment where childcare workers can continue to shine, with "children first" as his motto. He is also actively involved in parenting in his private life. (Appears as a lecturer at seminars hosted by local governments, career advancement training for childcare workers, SDGs events, etc.)

For achieving top-of-mind awareness in your industry category with data and insights, choose "Hakupi®."

Thought leadership strategy is essential to become a trusted presence within an industry.

Thought leadership refers to a stance of leading society and the market by proactively disseminating forward-looking perspectives and deep insights within a specific field or industry. Its key characteristic is presenting new values and visions, earning recognition as a reliable source of information in that field.

Hakupi® provides integrated services from white paper concept design and structural planning to original research and page design, fostering thought leadership as a specialist in a particular field. By demonstrating persuasiveness and authority, it builds trust with management and investors, leading to the generation of high-quality leads and business opportunities.

▼ Hakupi Service Site https://ideatech.jp/service/haku-p

Company Profile

Asuka Inc.

Company Name: Asuka Inc.

Established: August 30, 1994

Representative Director: Yoshitaka Hagino

Location: Asuka Building 3F, 5-2-2 Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: ■ Establishment and operation of childcare facilities (in-hospital childcare facilities, corporate childcare facilities, licensed childcare centers)

Child-rearing support services in cooperation with local governments (Operation of children's halls, after-school children's clubs, child-rearing support centers, children's plazas, etc.)

Dispatch and introduction of personnel related to childcare (Childcare workers, kindergarten teachers, nurses, dietitians, etc.)

Home-based child-rearing support (Baby/kids sitter services, housekeeping services, commissioned work for local governments)

Training and support services for childcare facilities

Development and consulting for new childcare businesses

URL: https://www.g-asuka.co.jp/

IDEATECH Inc.

Company Name: IDEATECH Inc. Representative: Tomoo Ishikawa, President and CEO Location: 3F, Daiichi Hoki Building, 2-11-17 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0062 Established: February 2010 Business Activities: 1 IDEA Content Business · Research Data Marketing "Risapi®" · Report Marketing "Repopi®" · Thought Leadership Marketing "Hakupi®" · Column Marketing "Colapi®" · Q&A Marketing "X-Questions®"

2 IDEA PR Business · PR Strategy Consulting "PR-GROWTH" · PR In-house Support "IDEA PR houseAI" · LLMO Strategy Consulting

3 IDEA Marketing Business 4 IDEA Design Business 5 IDEA Sales Business (Content Sales®) 6 IDEA Solutions Business 7 IDEA AI Business · Generative AI Implementation and Operation Support Training · Generative AI Training URL: https://ideatech.jp