With Midwife Co., Ltd. CEO Segetsu Kishihata Receives Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau's 'Women's Challenge Award Special Category' for Reiwa 8

With Midwife Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Osaka, Osaka; CEO: Segetsu Kishihata; hereinafter "With Midwife") is pleased to announce that its CEO, Segetsu Kishihata, has received the "Women's Challenge Award Special Category" for Reiwa 8, awarded by the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office. Inspired by this honor, With Midwife will continue striving to bring the expertise of midwives and other healthcare professionals into society and work toward a future where no one becomes isolated due to life events, and everyone can work and live authentically.

Award Ceremony (Group Photo)

Background of CEO Kishihata's Recognition

Life events such as pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, infertility treatment, caregiving, and menopause are familiar to everyone.

Yet, these experiences cannot always be supported solely within medical settings or healthcare facilities and have long been treated as "personal matters" or issues to be resolved within the family.

For working individuals, changing health conditions, family caregiving responsibilities, workplace coordination, and career-related anxieties can sometimes lead to resignation, career stagnation, or mental health challenges.

Kishihata, who became a midwife after battling illness at age 14, has encountered, through her clinical work, not only the joys of pregnancy and childbirth but also the isolation, postpartum depression, abortions, unintended pregnancies, infertility treatments, and work-life balance struggles faced by many individuals.

She strongly felt that the expertise of midwives is needed not only within delivery rooms and hospitals but also in people's everyday lives.

Documentary 'Kosodate' (Raising Children Alone), Featuring Kishihata's Life Story, Viewed Over 700,000 Times

Since its founding in 2019, With Midwife has built systems enabling healthcare professionals, starting with midwives, to accompany employees and their families through life events—including pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, women's health, mental health, and caregiving—by collaborating with corporations, local governments, and communities.

Midwife Providing Online Consultations to Users Overview of Manager Introducing 'THE CARE,' an Employee Support Service for Corporations Corporate-Exclusive Midwife Providing In-Home Care to Employees Couple Consulting via Chat About Parenting

This award recognizes these initiatives and the ongoing efforts to establish new societal roles for healthcare professionals.

About the Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau's 'Women's Challenge Award'

The 'Women's Challenge Award' is presented by the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office to recognize individual women, women's groups or organizations, and supporting entities that are actively challenging themselves in areas such as entrepreneurship, NPO activities, and community engagement.

The award aims to highlight relatable role models to promote a gender-equal society where women can fully express their individuality and abilities.

The 'Women's Challenge Award Special Category,' received by Segetsu Kishihata, honors achievements in specific fields aligned with annual policy priorities.

○ Theme of the Special Category for Reiwa 8 "Initiatives Related to Women's Health Issues" Supporting women's empowerment requires attention to women's health challenges across life stages—including menstruation, pregnancy and childbirth, and menopause—as well as their physiological characteristics. It is also essential to address health issues arising from gender differences and those unique to women across their lifespan, creating an environment where women can maintain health and live with peace of mind. This category recognizes individuals (women), organizations (including companies), and groups implementing initiatives for women's health support, such as utilizing new technologies or developing innovative services (e.g., counseling, self-check tools).

The Reiwa 8 Women's Challenge Award Ceremony was held on Monday, June 29, Reiwa 8, at Tokyo International Forum, as part of the first session of the "National Conference Toward Building a Gender-Equal Society, Reiwa 8."

Deputy Minister Atsushi Tsushima of the Cabinet Office Speaking on the Significance of the Award

Comment from Segetsu Kishihata

CEO/Midwife, With Midwife Co., Ltd. Segetsu Kishihata

I am deeply honored to receive the Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau's 'Women's Challenge Award Special Category' for Reiwa 8. I sincerely thank everyone who has supported With Midwife, my colleagues who have walked this path with me, and all those who continue to share their voices from the front lines.

As a midwife, I have stood beside the miracle of birth. At the same time, I have repeatedly encountered lives that could not be born, unspoken pain, and anxieties carried in silence with no one to turn to.

Pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, infertility treatment, caregiving, menopause—these life events are not limited to a select few. Yet in society, they are still often seen as something one must handle alone or resolve within the family, leading many to become isolated before they can access the support they need.

With Midwife was founded with the vision of a future where "not even a single life that could not be born is left behind."

We strive to extend the expertise of midwives beyond hospitals—into corporations, communities, and everyday life. We envision a society where no one must give up their career or authentic self due to life events.

This has been our mission from day one.

Deputy Minister Tsushima and With Midwife CEO Kishihata at the Award Ceremony

I believe this award does not belong to me alone, but is shared with my colleagues at With Midwife, midwives across Japan, and everyone who has supported our journey.

Motivated by this recognition, we will continue expanding the potential of midwives and other healthcare professionals, walking alongside working individuals and their families to realize a society where life events and careers do not have to be in conflict.

Key Initiatives and Awards of Segetsu Kishihata

After completing the Graduate School of Medicine, Human Health Sciences Program, Advanced Practical Midwifery Course at Kyoto University, Segetsu Kishihata worked as a midwife in medical institutions. While continuing clinical work, she founded With Midwife Co., Ltd. in 2019 and assumed the role of CEO.

With Midwife offers 'THE CARE,' a companion support service for corporations that supports employees and their families in health and parenting, and 'Jicca,' an urban-style postpartum care apartment for new families. Through THE CARE, healthcare professionals—including midwives, public health nurses, and nurses—accompany employees through life events such as pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, infertility treatment, women's health, mental health, and caregiving, supporting both individuals and organizations.

The company also collaborates with corporations, local governments, universities, and community organizations on initiatives including prenatal and postnatal care, parenting support, adolescent counseling, women's health support, work-life balance support for working parents, parenting support for fathers, and midwife training and career development.

◻ Major Awards and Selections to Date

2019 Selected as Finalist, 'LED Kansai' 5th Business Plan Presentation, funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

2019 Certified, 'Osaka Venture Challenge Fund&Fan'

2019 Recipient, WORK STORY AWARD 2019 '3 Es' Award

2019 Recipient, Osaka City Credit Union Award, Health Industry Promising Plan Discovery Contest, Reiwa 1

2020 Selected as Finalist, 'IAG Venture Support Presentation'

2020 Selected, RICOH Accelerator Program 'TRIBUS'

2021 Recipient, Kyoto Prefecture Women Entrepreneurs Award, Kyoto Governor's Award for Child-Rearing Related Business

2021 Selected, METI Reiwa 3 'Femtech and Support Services Demonstration Project Subsidy'

2021 Certified, 'Osaka Top Runner Development Program'

2022 Selected as Finalist, 'One Young World Tokyo Summit 2022'

2023 Selected as 'Super Eco-Hiiki' Company

2023 Recipient, TXN Documentary Grand Prix, Excellence Program Award

2024 Recipient, 2nd HeCNOS AWARD

2025 Runner-Up, 'Wakayama Castle Pitch Contest'

2025 Recipient, '10th Kioi Innovation Support Program' Excellence Award

2025 Selected as Finalist, 'Social X Acceleration powered by MUFG'

2025 Selected for Exhibition at Osaka-Kansai Expo

2025 Selected, METI Reiwa 7 'Femtech and Support Services Demonstration Project Subsidy'

2026 Recipient, Kansai Business Seminar Award 2026 'Radiant Women Award'

2026 Recipient, Cabinet Office Gender Equality Bureau Reiwa 8 'Women's Challenge Award Special Category'

Company Overview

Company Name: With Midwife Co., Ltd.

Representative: CEO Segetsu Kishihata

Headquarters: (Osaka) QUINTBRIDGE 303, 4-15-82 Higashinodatemachi, Temmabashi, Osaka City, Osaka 534-0024

(Tokyo) 4F, Hollywood Beauty Plaza, 6-4-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032

Business Activities: Prenatal and postnatal care, parenting support, work-life balance support services for corporations, etc.

Mission: Realizing a future where "not even a single life that could not be born is left behind."

We witness not only visible lives but also invisible ones—such as those lost to miscarriage or stillbirth. With the midwife's power of 'accompanying (care),' we are committed to building a society where no life is ever left behind.

Official Website: https://withmidwife.jp/