[Japan's First] Higashi-Mikawa Companies Supporting Local Economy Co-create with Startups! Launching a Demonstration of Sustainable Workplace Environment Creation through "Bereavement Support."

Shinichi Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Toyokawa City, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director: Yusuke Kinoshita; hereinafter "Shinichi Kogyo") announces its participation as one of the corporate alliances in the Higashi-Mikawa region (eastern Aichi Prefecture), centered around "emCAMPUS STUDIO," a co-creation hub operated by the SARA Group, which consists of 48 lifestyle-related companies with SARA Corporation (Headquarters: Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director and President: Goro Jinno) as its holding company. This participation is in support of the demonstration experiment on "bereavement leave and productivity" being undertaken by Waterhuman Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kakuaki Shintani; hereinafter "Waterhuman").

Traditionally, local ties and traditional rituals have supported bereaved families in Japanese society. However, due to the recent "weakening of local communities" and "nuclearization of families," the burden on them has been steadily increasing. Furthermore, the "multi-death society," where many people are expected to face the death of a relative within the next five years, and the "aging of the workforce" due to labor shortages are also serious issues. Against this backdrop, there has been a rapid increase in "working chief mourners" who must deal with complex procedures and grief alongside their jobs, which is an urgent issue that society as a whole must address. In such modern times, "mental care" and "reduction of practical burden" for employees who become "working chief mourners" have become critical management challenges that affect the sustainability of companies.

✦ "Co-creation" Born in Higashi-Mikawa

This demonstration experiment originated from "emCAMPUS STUDIO," a co-creation hub in Higashi-Mikawa operated by the SARA Group.

For Waterhuman, which found it difficult to develop a demonstration field on its own, emCAMPUS STUDIO, which provides support services for challengers aspiring to start businesses in Higashi-Mikawa, acted as a bridge. In Higashi-Mikawa, where manufacturing and logistics industries that support the local economy and have many earnest business owners are concentrated, seven local companies resonated with Waterhuman's vision and responded, leading to the realization of this collaboration. This initiative demonstrates that "Higashi-Mikawa has the fertile ground to connect startup challenges to social implementation."

Starting from emCAMPUS STUDIO, we will create new value by supporting working people who carry "grief" from Higashi-Mikawa, and update this region to become "Japan's most supportive region for 'challengers' and most compassionate region for 'working people'."

Novelty of Co-creation through the "Higashi-Mikawa Model"

The scheme in which "a co-creation hub operated by a core regional company acts as a hub, connecting small and medium-sized enterprises from different industries to simultaneously verify a single startup's service" possesses unparalleled novelty.

・ Elimination of "Search Costs" and "Verification Risks" for SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lack the resources to independently search for new startup services and verify their effectiveness. Therefore, a core company acts as an "expert," and multiple SMEs simultaneously participate in the demonstration, minimizing the cost and risk per company while allowing the entire region to benefit from cutting-edge services.

・ Securing Statistical Advantage

While a single SME might only have a few "bereavement leave" cases per year, an alliance of multiple companies allows for the collection of diverse data in a short period, enabling meaningful analysis. This also applies to demonstration experiments for other services.

・ "Private Sector"-Led Ecosystem

While regional projects are often led by the government, this project is an autonomous alliance based on trust relationships (local ties) among local private companies...