challenge3 NGK Spark Plug Co., LTD. | Aichi Smart Sustainable City Co-Creation Challenge

Challenge 3

NGK Spark Plug Co., LTD.

Creating a community where everyone can thrive throughout their lives with high levels of well-being.
- Optimizing the detection of and the support for young caregivers through IT to improve the well-being of Aichi Prefecture's residents-

Future World

How to perceive the future

In recent years, amidst social structural changes such as an increase in the percentage of dual-earner households and a rise in the divorce rate compared to a generation ago, the issue of young caregivers, in which minors are mainly responsible for domestic tasks, has been attracting attention.

According to a survey published by the government in 2021, one in 17 junior high school students is a young carer, and as society continues to change, the number of young carers is not expected to decrease.

Japan's measures to deal with young caregivers have just begun, lagging behind other developed countries such as the UK and Australia. The Japanese government has recently taken up the issue as an important one.

Aichi Prefecture has announced that it will conduct a survey on the status of young caregivers in the prefecture in the fall of 2021. The issue of young caregivers has come to be seen as an increasingly important issue in Aichi Prefecture.

Vision

What is the purpose of Co-Creation?

In order to continue sustainable growth in the future, NGK Spark Plug aims to "transform its business portfolio" by increasing the ratio of non-internal combustion engine businesses and is working to create new businesses by focusing on areas such as medical care that will ensure healthy lives for people of all ages.

In particular, the issue of young caregivers is intertwined with various fields, such as medical care, nursing care, and education. The company hopes to resolve issues in a wide range of fields in the future, starting from the resolution of the young caregivers issue.

If young caregivers become mainly responsible for domestic tasks, their academic growth and mental and physical health may be hindered, and they may lose out on their life chances. Thus, it is very important to prevent young caregivers from having their life chances limited by the environment in which they were born

In order to solve the problem of young caregivers, it is necessary to (1) discover young caregivers at an early stage, which is difficult due to the location being the home and the fact that the young caregivers themselves are minors, (2) connect them with appropriate support organizations, and (3) introduce solutions to ease the physical and mental burden of young caregivers.

Intellectual Capital

What is the potential that can be tapped for the future?

The company's CVC "Venture Lab NGK SPARK PLUG Co., LTD.", established in 2018, has made a total of 9 investments so far（https://ngkntkventure.com/investments）

Possesses advanced sensing technologies (oxygen, hydrogen, temperature, vibration, distance, smell, breath) as well as the capability to store and utilize big data

Strong interest in the area of well-being (e.g. experience in developing a solution to visualize employees' mood https://lp.goodmorningcolor.com/)

Offices and human resources in Japan and around the world.

Potential Partner

What kind of partner do you want to co-creation with?

Players that provide solutions that streamline the discovery of young carers (e.g. solutions that record and detect abnormalities in the home, solutions that streamline surveys, etc.)

Players offering solutions to support young carers themselves (e.g., mental health-related solutions, solutions to streamline learning at home, etc.)

Solutions to support self-help of care recipients (e.g., care solutions that can be used at home, simple testing solutions to prevent dementia, etc.)

In addition to the above, we are looking for any partners who share the above goals and challenges, and who are willing to work together to create solutions to optimize the discovery and support of young caregivers through IT, and to improve the well-being of citizens.

Asset

Young carer discovery and support platform (conceptual image)

GOOD MORNING COLOR

Investment Activities

Medium-term management plan

Benefits

Benefits for passing the document screening

Consideration for conducting a demonstration experiment