FEC (The International Friendship and Economic Exchange Council) Secretariat A place of coexistence where everyone can live with peace of mind.
The reason for starting services for the elderly
Chairman Ken Matsuzawa As a new feature in FEC News, we will be publishing a series called "Presidential Interviews" that introduces members who are engaged in unique activities. For the first installment, we welcomed Ms. Chiyomi Tanaka of Chiga Co., Ltd., which provides a wide range of services for the elderly in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Kyushu. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us today.
The Chiga Group began operations in Kyushu, and since opening a publicly funded, privately operated clinic under the medical corporation Kyushu Chiga in 1994, it has been in business for 31 years. Currently, it operates six clinics and more than 30 facilities for the elderly. In the Kanto region, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Saitama, it operates paid nursing homes, service-provided housing for the elderly, and other care and welfare-related businesses based on the Long-Term Care Insurance Act and the Comprehensive Support for Persons with Disabilities Act. With over 1000 employees, it is one of the mid-sized corporate groups in the medical and welfare sectors.
First, could you tell us what prompted you to start providing services for the elderly?
Chairperson Chiyomi Tanaka The impetus for starting the nursing home came from the voices of mothers who were participating in the PTA of their daughter's school in Oita. These women were working to send their children to cram school, but at the same time, they were also in the generation that needed to care for their in-laws. At the time, nursing home fees were very expensive, and they were all suffering from the reality that almost all of the wages they earned for their children were being used up on caregiving expenses.
Around that time, a hotel where the poet Wakayama Bokusui had stayed was scheduled for demolition. Responding to their requests, they purchased the hotel and opened it as "Bokusui-en," providing housing for the elderly and offering day care services.
The facility was very well received by residents and their families, but it was criticized by local media as "exploiting the elderly by cramming them into old hotels," and was portrayed as a villain. In response, officials from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and a reporter from the Nikkei Shimbun came to inspect the facility. However, once the inspection began, their opinion completely changed, and they praised the facility. At the time, this type of service was not envisioned under the law, and the visiting officials promised to enact legislation before leaving. Later, the Elderly Welfare Act established the types of paid nursing homes, and residential-type paid nursing homes became legally recognized.
Matsuzawa So, the law caught up with your company's initiatives, right?
Tanaka In a situation where there were no legal frameworks in place, we were acting based on our ideals. What made me particularly happy was that the elderly residents opposed the closure of Makisui-en. They directly appealed to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare officials and Nikkei reporters who came to inspect the facility, saying, "There is no other place where you can receive this level of service for such a low fee of 5 to 6 yen." In response, the Nikkei newspaper provided support, stating that "the quality of a facility should be judged by its residents."
Universal House "Maria's Hill" established
Matsuzawa I imagine you faced many difficulties in the early days of your business. I understand that you later expanded your operations in Kyushu and then entered the Tokyo metropolitan area, and that you acquired land in Yokohama from the Vatican.
Tanaka: I was asked by the Roman Catholic Church to take over the facilities and land of the Franciscan Daughters of the Atonement, located on a hill in Midori Ward, Yokohama City.
Just as elderly care has shifted from the government to the private sector, I believe that support for people with disabilities should also be a responsibility of the private sector. I recognize that the foundation of disability welfare lies in the Christian spirit of philanthropy. I consider inheriting land from the Catholic Church to be a divine revelation.
With these thoughts in mind, we established the Universal House "Maria's Hill" as a place of coexistence where everyone, regardless of age, gender, or disability, can live with peace of mind. Behind this was the heartfelt plea from parents of children with intellectual disabilities. We had been hearing their wish for a place where they could entrust their children with peace of mind even after they were gone.
Matsuzawa Acquiring land from the Roman Catholic Church is quite an ambitious undertaking. The concept of Universal House is wonderful, but I imagine you must have faced considerable challenges in realizing it.
Tanaka You're absolutely right. There were two main challenges in running the program. One was a systemic issue, and the other was prejudice on the part of the elderly.
One systemic challenge was the complexity of local rules in each municipality, making it difficult to receive support. Without support, it would have been practically impossible for the facility to care for people with disabilities for their entire lives. Therefore, we initially started as a nursing home. Later, thanks to the efforts of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the systemic problems were resolved, and we were able to accept people with intellectual disabilities.
Another challenge was that some of the elderly residents already living there held prejudices against people with disabilities. Rather than outright discrimination, their concern was that "the peaceful life of someone whose behavior and reactions are unpredictable will be threatened by the arrival of someone they chose as their final home." This tendency was particularly strong among the male residents.
However, once residents actually started moving in, the elderly women rejoiced, saying they had "become adorable children," and proactively began interacting with the intellectually disabled residents. Seeing this, I became convinced that my prejudices were unfounded.
Furthermore, Yoko Ono, who resonated with the philosophy of "Maria's Hill," kindly provided us with her artwork "Play it by Trust," which embodies her love for peace and her desire to love people.
In any era, those who pioneer new fields inevitably have to walk many difficult paths.
I've also heard that the Universal House "Maria's Hill" will be established as a privately run residence with lifelong care services for the elderly and people with disabilities.
The path ahead for "Maria's Hill" will certainly not be an easy one.
As a fellow traveler on an uncharted path, I present this work, created with the hope that everyone can equally enjoy wonderful moments, to the Universal House "Maria's Hill."
“Play it by Ttrust” “Trust and move your pieces forward.”
Facing each other on a white chessboard, players move white-painted pieces. After a while, it becomes impossible to distinguish which pieces belong to your opponent and which belong to your team. Beyond that point lies a wish for a peaceful world based on trust, without distinction or discrimination between friend and foe.
オノ・ヨーコ
Acquisition of Nakatsu Castle in Oita
Matsuzawa I understand that the Chiga Group is currently a mid-sized medical and welfare group with over 1,000 employees, and that it is undertaking various unique initiatives. In particular, I understand that you own Nakatsu Castle in Oita Prefecture. Could you tell us about your intentions behind this and your future prospects?
Tanaka Since its establishment, the Chiga Group has upheld the philosophy of "respecting Japan's traditions, history, and culture, which are worthy of world pride, creating many fulfilling lives, and building a new history and culture."
Based on this philosophy, we have positioned "cultural welfare" as one of our main businesses, in addition to medical care and nursing care. As part of this, in 22 we acquired Nakatsu Castle, which was built by Kuroda Josui and was also the residence of the Okudaira family, a branch of the Tokugawa family. After restoration and maintenance, we are developing activities to widely promote the castle, a symbol of traditional samurai culture, both domestically and internationally.
Matsuzawa When I first heard about it, I was puzzled as to why a company involved in medical care and nursing would purchase a castle, but after hearing their philosophy, I understood.
Tanaka Thank you. This year, we have created a garden within Nakatsu Castle, produced by world-renowned garden designer Kazuyuki Ishihara, who has been called the "Green Magician" by Queen Elizabeth II of England. We intend to share a new castle culture that fuses samurai culture and gardening with the world.
"Manga" is a symbol of modern Japan that we can be proud of on a global scale.
The success of the "Expo Manga Exhibition" at the Osaka-Kansai Expo
Matsuzawa The opening ceremony for the "Expo Manga Exhibition" was held on May 9th. We were honored to have Mr. Paquet, the EU Ambassador to Japan, participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and it was a great success. Could you tell us about the background behind the realization of this project?
Tanaka First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Chairman of the Board for accepting the role of Executive Committee Chairman for the "Expo Manga Exhibition," and also for inviting EU Ambassador to Japan Paquet.
The impetus for this project came when the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry requested that we utilize Pavilion E, which had become vacant due to the withdrawal of a country that had been scheduled to participate, as an exhibition space themed on co-creation and dialogue.
Matsuzawa I understand that Chairman Tanaka's ownership of copyrights to many manga made it possible to hold this event. How did he acquire those copyrights?
Tanaka Originally, my daughter aspired to be a manga artist, which is why I started acquiring manga copyrights. I recognize that manga is something that people all over the world cite as a symbol of Japanese culture.
Matsuzawa This is also a story of great scale. Could you tell me a little more about this manga exhibition?
Tanaka Thanks to the efforts of all parties involved, we were able to exhibit a booth themed around "manga" at "EXPO 2025 Osaka-Kansai World Expo," a gathering of countries from around the world to promote cultural exchange. Every day, many visitors lined up to visit our booth, and we truly felt that manga is something to be proud of on a global scale as a symbol of modern Japanese culture.
I believe the reason for its particularly positive reception lies in the theme of "Samurai and Princess." "Bushido" and "Princess" symbolize the aesthetics and spirituality of Japanese culture and are respected worldwide.
Renowned manga artists have used their sensibilities and artistic skills to express Japanese history and tradition. Through the medium of manga, ancient Japanese culture and contemporary art have merged, and I believe this has deeply moved not only foreign visitors to Japan but also Japanese people.
Matsuzawa I'm not very knowledgeable about manga, but seeing the exhibited works really conveyed the essence of Japanese culture. I imagine it must have taken a lot of effort to gather so many works.
Tanaka It was a huge help that I became acquainted with manga artist Machiko Satonaka. She is also the chairperson of the Japan Cartoonists Association, and initially I intended to rely on the association's support, but I heard that there are many artists who are not affiliated with the association these days. So, I first asked her to exhibit her work, and from there, I was able to invite many other manga artists to participate through "friendship invitations."
Through this exhibition, we hope to showcase the expressive power and creativity of manga to the world, and to deepen understanding of and appreciation for Japanese culture. Furthermore, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the National Police Officers' Friendship Association, chaired by our Chairman, for their invaluable support in terms of security during the setup and operation of the manga booth.
International exchange initiatives and expectations for the Private Diplomacy Association
Matsuzawa Finally, could you tell us why you joined the Association for the Promotion of Private Diplomacy, your group's efforts in international exchange, and your expectations for the association?
Tanaka I have become a member of The International Friendship and Economic Exchange Council (FEC) because I agree with its philosophy of "building mutual understanding and trust through economic, cultural, and people-to-people exchanges at the private level, and contributing to world peace and prosperity."
In Japan, where the birthrate is declining and the population is aging, foreign workers are indispensable in the nursing care industry. We believe that learning about nursing care in Japan and then bringing that knowledge and skills back to one's home country to spread is also a valuable form of private-sector exchange.
The Chiga Group employs talented young people from Myanmar, Nepal, China, Sri Lanka, and other countries who aspire to a career in elderly care, and they learn every day while being exposed to Japanese culture.
I believe that true human exchange will be achieved when they utilize Japanese culture and the spirit of "omotenashi" (hospitality) in their home countries in the future. I am greatly attracted to the network and information that FEC has cultivated through its many years of activity. I would like to express my gratitude once again to FEC for making it possible for us to invite EU Ambassador to Japan Paquet to this manga exhibition.
Matsuzawa Today's discussion was very fruitful. I sincerely wish your company group continued success and continued contributions to our association.
田中千代美
In her childhood, through interactions with her grandmother and other elderly people, she developed a dream of "creating a home where all the elderly can live happily and with smiles on their faces, just like in Grandma's room." After becoming a housewife, she realized this dream by establishing a senior care facility in Kyushu in 1996. In 2006, she expanded into the Tokyo metropolitan area, and now operates more than 30 medical and nursing care facilities in Kyushu and the Tokyo metropolitan area. She is the owner and entrepreneur of the Chiga Group, which employs over 1,000 people, including related corporations that handle cultural and welfare projects.
Sharing the depth of Japanese manga culture with the world
"Expo Manga Exhibition" Opening Ceremony
On May 9th, the opening ceremony for the "Expo Manga Exhibition" was held at Commons E Pavilion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo currently taking place in Yumeshima, Osaka. Ken Matsuzawa, Chairman of the Association for the Promotion of Private Diplomacy (FEC) and Chairman of the Expo Manga Exhibition Executive Committee, gave a speech commemorating the opening, stating, "We want this to be an opportunity to showcase the depth of Japanese manga culture to the world."
Despite his extremely busy schedule with EU National Day related events, Jean-Eric Paquet, the European Union Ambassador to Japan, also attended the ceremony and participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Chairman Matsuzawa, receiving applause from the attendees who filled the venue.
The "Expo Manga Exhibition" was planned with the aim of conveying Japanese spirituality and aesthetics to the world through "manga," a culture that Japan proudly presents to the world. The venue displays newly drawn works by more than 30 manga artists who have been active from the Showa to the Reiwa era, as well as original drawings of famous scenes selected by the artists themselves. The themes are "Bushido" and "Princesses." Japanese values that have been passed down through the ages are vividly depicted through the expression of manga. Furthermore, a "collaboration wall" has been set up in the venue where handwritten signatures of famous manga artists have been collected, and additional signatures are planned during the exhibition period. In addition, the exhibition space also features replicas of the "Kumageue Kuroito Odoshi Gusoku" armor said to have been worn by Tokugawa Ieyasu and the "Josui no Akagoshi" helmet of Kuroda Kanbei. Visitors can actually try them on, allowing them to experience Japanese history and culture.
The "Expo Manga Exhibition" was held until October 13th.
This interview was published in the July 2025 issue of FEC News.