Story Text

ONODERA USER RUN Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Jun Kato, Location: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter "OUR") is pleased to announce that, as part of the "Collaboration Agreement to Promote the Employment of Specified Skilled Workers" signed with Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture in July of last year, the first three approved candidates have entered Japan this May and commenced employment at the Aisenshokai Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center* (formerly Aisenshokai Nichinan Hospital; hereinafter "Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center"), a social welfare corporation within the city.■ A Support System for Regional Settlement Achieved Through Nichinan City x Accepting Organization x OURSince July of last year, Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, and OUR have been working under a collaboration agreement to promote the employment of specified skilled workers. Their efforts aim to foster individuals who can work safely and securely in Nichinan City for the long term, and to address challenges such as labor shortages and an increase in vacant homes within the city.The three individuals who have entered Japan this time are the first case under this agreement. In November of last year, Mayor Takahashi of Nichinan City and Mr. Nishijima, Chairman of the accepting organization, Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center, visited "OUR BLOOMING ACADEMY" in Davao, Philippines. Following interviews and family information sessions held there, the candidates received job offers.Subsequently, while continuing to study Nichinan City's dialect, culture, Japanese language, and caregiving skills in preparation for their entry into Japan, they arrived on May 13th of this year and have already begun working at the Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center. Approximately one month has passed since they joined the organization, and they are actively contributing daily towards maintaining and enhancing "regional welfare," a significant challenge in Nichinan City.■ Observation of OUR Workers' Performance at Miyazaki Medical and Welfare CenterOur President & CEO, Jun Kato, visited the Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center to encourage the three individuals and to hear their evaluations from Chairman Nishijima and the workplace staff.Scene of interaction and work with the personnelMeeting between Chairman Nishijima of Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center and our President & CEO, Jun Kato, and a supervisorComments from Chairman Nishijima"Although I understood their personalities from the interviews conducted locally, their work attitude is even more serious and wonderful than I had imagined. The staff are greatly assisted by them, and at this point, we are very satisfied with no particular issues."Comments from a supervisor"I truly feel that we have hired excellent personnel. We are very happy from a workplace perspective."Online meeting with local instructorsOn the same day, an online meeting was held with the instructors who were in charge of the three individuals' classes in the Philippines, allowing for a discussion about their work and life in Nichinan City. The fact that instructors who know about their academy life before entering Japan can maintain continuous contact with OUR personnel working in Japan and provide support for their settlement in the workplace and community is a major strength of our unique "OUR Straight Through" scheme, which handles the entire process from recruitment and education to introduction and post-entry support without outsourcing to external parties.Furthermore, in addition to establishing a reception system within the hospital, the Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center made arrangements for the three individuals to live together in a detached house with a garden that the center owns, minimizing living costs such as utilities and rent.In the garden, they were observed growing "Basella alba" (known as "Tsuru Murasaki" in Japanese), a staple vegetable in their home country of the Philippines, from seeds purchased in Japan. This allows them to enjoy the flavors of their home country even after entering Japan, reducing food expenses and contributing to their financial security. OUR considers such individual support to be crucial for improving retention rates."Basella alba" being grown in the garden next to the residence■ Towards Further Enhancement of "Regional Welfare" in Nichinan CityFrom left: Mayor Takahashi of Nichinan City, our President & CEO Jun Kato, and Vice Mayor Tsuru of Nichinan CityBased on this first acceptance case in Nichinan City, Mayor Takahashi and Vice Mayor Tsuru, who visited the Miyazaki Medical and Welfare Center to observe the work of the three active individuals and meet with them, exchanged opinions with the aim of creating mechanisms to further promote this collaboration agreement.Discussions were held with the goal of realizing a symbiotic society in Nichinan City, where each foreign national supporting the future of Nichinan City can work and live with peace of mind as a member of the local community.In response to this acceptance case, we have reaffirmed the importance of protecting the essential value of regional welfare: "ensuring that everyone can continue to receive welfare services with peace of mind in an environment they are familiar with," in the context of regional cities facing declining birthrates and aging populations.Going forward, OUR will continue to collaborate with Nichinan City and local companies to build a model for the development of secure and reliable specified skilled workers rooted in the region, and to promote sustainable employment support for both accepting companies and the community.Company Profile of ONODERA USER RUN Co., Ltd.We are engaged in human resource education in various Asian countries and human resource introduction services in Japan specializing in specified skills*. As of May 30, 2026, we have educated a cumulative total of 11,780 individuals (cumulative number of students enrolled in and graduated from our overseas academies) and produced 10,016 successful candidates in the Specified Skilled Worker examinations. In terms of job placement for specified skilled workers, 8,331 individuals have received job offers, and 6,501 individuals (cumulative) have already commenced employment at their placed organizations. Through our unique "OUR Straight Through" scheme, which provides one-stop services from Japanese language and specified skills education at our overseas educational facilities "OUR BLOOMING ACADEMY" to human resource introduction and support for post-employment life and qualification acquisition, we introduce personnel who can work stably for extended periods.* Our company is a registered support organization certified by the Ministry of Justice.• Location: 5F, Otemachi Center Building, 1-1-3 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004• Establishment: November 1, 2016 • Capital: 100 million yen • Representative: Jun Kato, President & CEO• URL: https://onodera-user-run.co.jp/Since its founding in 1983, ONODERA GROUP has been expanding its diverse businesses globally, including food services, human resources & technology, medical, pharma, and sports, as well as LEOC Co., Ltd., which provides meal services at over 3,000 locations nationwide. With the corporate philosophy of "Bringing joy and inspiration to our customers, growth and happiness to our partners, and contributing to society," we continue to take on new challenges as a leading company in creating individual happiness.Representative: Group Representative CEO Yuji Onodera URL: https://www.onodera-group.jp/