[Report] Tasting and Lying Down... A Glance at the '100 Trillion Won' Japanese Care Market [Korea-Japan Comparison]④

[The Era of 10 Million Elderly, Learning from Japan]④
'2024 Tokyo Caretex' Expo
10th Year... Held Across Japan Including Osaka
From Care Food to Southeast Asia Care Worker Matching Services

The international exhibition center "Tokyo Big Sight" located in Tokyo, Japan. The "2024 Caretex Tokyo," a care industry expo, was held here. Photo by Park Yujin

'Tokyo Big Sight,' Japan's largest international exhibition center. When the reporter recently visited this venue, the '2024 Tokyo CareTex' expo was in full swing. On the final day of the three-day event, the registration booth area was bustling with visitors waiting to enter. With 430 companies leading Japan's care industry gathered here, the products and services on display ranged across all genres, from food to advanced devices. It truly reflected the scale of Japan's silver care market, which is said to be close to 100 trillion yen.

The exhibition hall, divided into two floors, featured care foods, kitchen equipment, and oral care products on the lower floor, while the upper floor showcased various medical and welfare devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, and care robots. Most exhibits were hands-on, allowing visitors to try them out directly.

"This is an easy-to-chew and tasty ready meal. Please try it once!"

Following the savory aroma on the lower floor of the exhibition hall, there was a row of care food booths. From retort ready meals to yogurt for the elderly, booth staff were promoting their products with tasting samples and pamphlets. Shuhei Saito, head of the Onodera Group, invited the reporter to sample the food and explained that he had worked at the Japanese food franchise 'Saboten' before switching jobs after realizing the growth potential of care food.

Since its first event in 2015, the CareTex expo, now in its 10th edition this year, is a specialized exhibition showcasing nursing supplies, medical devices, and equipment and services for nursing homes all in one place. It has established itself as a venue where nursing facility staff, purchasing managers, and nursing supplies distributors visit to seek business opportunities. According to the organizer, Boutique Co., Ltd., 39% of the expo visitors are related to care (nursing and other caregiving) businesses, 19% are involved in supplies distribution, and 25% are from supplies manufacturing companies.

At the venue, Daisuke Ikoma, director of Boutique, said, "Since we first held the expo at Tokyo Big Sight in March 2015, we have expanded its scale every year." He added, "We also hold care industry expos in various regions such as Osaka and Fukuoka." He noted, "Despite the event being held before the lifting of quarantine requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, more than 10,000 visitors attended the Tokyo expo."

Japan is ahead in the care field as its aging population progressed earlier than in Korea. At the expo, there were also Koreans who came to explore business opportunities and learn about the silver industry scene in Japan. Junho Lee, CEO of Grayscale, who visited this year's CareTex expo following last year's HCR (Home Care & Rehabilitation Exhibition), Japan's largest international welfare equipment expo, said, "The fact that such a large-scale expo attracts many participating companies and visitors across various regions shows there is demand. I realized the significant difference in market size compared to the domestic market."

Umemoto Materials Co., Ltd. introduced 'LaundryJet' at the '2024 Tokyo Caretex.' It collects laundry from facility residents, reducing the workload of care staff. Photo by Yujin Park

The welfare equipment booths at the expo featured many machines incorporating advanced technology to reduce the workload of caregiving staff. For example, Umemoto Materials Co., Ltd. exhibited 'Laundry Jet,' which uses vacuum energy principles to automatically collect laundry just by placing clothes inside. When a hand is placed near the suction port, the entrance opens, allowing towels, blankets, and other laundry items to be inserted. This device is convenient for nursing facilities where laundry from multiple patients must be collected and processed.

Several sensors attached to beds to detect the movements of elderly patients were also on display. Excel Engineering introduced sensing cameras that allow caregivers to check the status of elderly patients on the bed anytime and anywhere, nurse call devices, and pressure ulcer prevention sensors. Nanami Chikuya, a public relations representative, explained, "Recently in Japan, there has been a significant increase in demand from people who want to spend their later years safely in their own homes rather than in facilities." She added, "We are also offering devices that can be used at home." These developed products are showcased to buyers through participation in expos like CareTex.

IT sensing device exhibited by Accel Engineering at the '2024 Tokyo Caretex' exhibition. Photo by Yujin Park

CEO Lee said, "Sensors that detect urination and defecation by smell and products that recognize biological signals using radar sensors stood out." He added, "It was impressive to see that in the Japanese welfare equipment market, the proportion of products combining artificial intelligence (AI) sensors and IT solutions is increasing compared to simple products."

There were also companies promoting services. In front of the booth operated by 'Staff Plus,' which connects caregiving personnel from Southeast Asia, Southeast Asian caregivers fluent in Japanese were handing out flyers and promoting directly.

At the '2024 Tokyo Caretex,' not only products but also workforce matching companies introducing foreign care workers participated. The photo shows a Southeast Asian caregiver working in Japan remotely consulting with another foreigner. Photo by Park Yujin

In addition to the exhibition, seminars featuring industry experts as lecturers were held on one side of the venue. Especially popular was a seminar where officials from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare explained the long-term care insurance system, with applications closing several days before the expo. Various other seminars followed, covering themes such as nursing business management and facility operations, explaining trends in Japan's nursing care industry.