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- January 2018
- Grand Prix Winner of the Japan Healthcare Business Contest 2018 Selected
Grand Prix Winner of the Japan Healthcare Business Contest 2018 Selected The Grand Prix goes to a therapeutic medical device providing a dual-task exercise rehabilitation program using virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies, developed by mediVR, Inc.
As an effort to discover and foster leaders in the next-generation healthcare industry, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI)held a business contest titled "Japan Healthcare Business Contest 2018" to recognize companies taking outstanding efforts toward creating new business in the field of healthcare. In the contest, five finalists passed the preliminary examination and made open-style presentations as the final examination. METI selected the Grand Prix winner among the finalists.
1. List of the winners
Grand Prix
- Company name:
- mediVR, Inc.
- Presenter:
- Masahiko Hara, Chief Executive Officer
- Title:
- Therapeutic medical device providing a dual-task exercise rehabilitation program using virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies
Excellence Awards
Company name:iCARE Co., Ltd.
- Presenter:
- Kazuya Kataoka, COO
- Title:
- Carely, a new platform for health and productivity management programs through which SMEs are able to achieve an industrial hygiene system on par with those of large enterprises
Company name:OQTA, Inc.
- Presenter:
- Koji Nakano, CEO and Co-founder
- Title:
- Effort for developing approaches to eliminating the phenomenon of people being devastated by solitude away from society, a situation bringing about the greatest sorrow in their lives
Company name:PREVENT Inc.
- Presenter:
- Yuta Hagiwara, President
- Title:
- iPrevent, a project to prevent people from suffering from severe diseases by taking advantage of online services
Company name:Yukashikado Inc.
- Presenter:
- Shinya Minobe, President
- Title:
- VitaNote, the world’s first kit of personal urine inspection, a means to assess excess and deficiency of nutrition
Note:The winners of the Excellence Awards are listed in the order of the Japanese syllabary.
2. Outline of the contest
This contest aims to recognize outstanding companies and individuals taking on solutions to societal challenges in the field of healthcare so as to raise social awareness thereof, and also aims to promote business matching between such outstanding companies and other businesses. Through these efforts, METI will assist such outstanding companies in facilitating their self-sustaining growth.
As the third contest, five finalist out of 72 applicants passed document screening and presentations during the preliminary examination. Then, based on the open-style presentations for the final examination, METI selected the Grand Prix winner.
Scenes of the contest

Mr. Hara, mediVR Inc., the Grand Prix winner, making a presentation

Mr. Yoshihide Esaki, Deputy Director-General, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group, METI, awarding a trophy to a winner

Photo session following the determination of the Grand Prix
Release date
January 18, 2018
Division in Charge
Healthcare Industries Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group