Applications Open for the 2025 KENKO Investment for Health and 2025 Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health

Note *1: The term “PHR” is an acronym for a personal health record.

1. Recognition of Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health

METI has been encouraging enterprises to introduce KENKO Investment for Health so that they can consider these issues for their employees from a business-management perspective as one of the efforts for achieving a healthy, long-life society and so that they can strategically implement initiatives that lead to the maintenance and promotion of their employees’ health.

Aiming to create an environment in which enterprises practicing KENKO Investment for Health are appreciated by society, Nippon Kenko Kaigi^*2 has been conducting the Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program since FY2016 to recognize outstanding enterprises, based on the survey responses from the enterprises, in two categories by size: the Large Enterprise Category and the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category.^*3

Concerning the operation of the FY2024 programs, Nikkei Inc. has become the organizer and secretariat of the programs as a result of a public call, and it has been working to further promote KENKO Investment for Health through active PR and other activities. (The programs are subsidized by the 2024 KENKO Investment for Health Program Organization Project.)

Notes:

*2: Nippon Kenko Kaigi is an organization aiming to encourage local governments and private organizations (e.g., economic associations, medical associations, and insurers) to work together toward achieving concrete measures in workplaces and in communities. (For the website, visit here

*3: A fee is required to apply for the 2025 Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program.

1. Recognition of Enterprises in the 2025 Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program (Large Enterprise Category)

Applicants' levels of achievement for the requirements are determined based on their responses to the 2024 Survey on KENKO Investment for Health The top 500 enterprises in the Large Enterprise Category are recognized as the White 500.

2. Recognition of Enterprises in the 2025 Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category)

Applicants' levels of achievement for the requirements are determined based on the details of their application forms for the 2025 Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category). The top 500 enterprises in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category are recognized as the Bright 500. In addition, the enterprises ranked between the 501st and 1500th place from the top in the category are recognized as the Next Bright 1000.

To find out how to apply, visit here: Portal  site run by the Secretariat of the Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program

2. Survey on KENKO Investment for Health

The Survey on KENKO Investment for Health has been conducted since FY2014 with the aim of analyzing KENKO Investment for Health efforts in enterprises and how they change over time, thereby obtaining basic information for choosing enterprises as KENKO Investment for Health and recognizing enterprises as Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health (Large Enterprise Category).

The number of enterprises responding to the survey, which is a prerequisite necessary to be recognized, is increasing year by year (3,520 enterprises last fiscal year). As seen in the fact that more than 80% of the enterprises that make up the Nikkei Stock Average (Nikkei 225) responded to the survey, many of the leading companies in each industry have begun to promote KENKO Investment for Health as part of their management strategy.

To find out how to respond to the survey, visit here: Portal site run by the Secretariat of the Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program

Key points of the FY2024 Survey

In FY2024, the Survey on KENKO Investment for Health was updated mainly with the following points in accordance with the three pillars of the policy, aiming to make KENKO Investment for Health a cornerstone underpinning the Japanese economy and society.

1. Visualization and quality improvement of KENKO Investment for Health

It is important for enterprises to ceaselessly be aware of the significance of efforts and quality improvement to bring about long-lasting effects from their KENKO Investment for Health. From this perspective, METI revised the scoring balance, including evaluating the involvement of management. In addition, as an effort for encouraging enterprises to promote their initiatives in which they are aware of future results and outcomes after having ascertained their situation, METI increased the weighting of output indicators rather than the number of processes.

The use of PHRs containing appropriately managed data leads to helping enterprises to enhance support for employees’ health if the enterprises visualize their employees’ health conditions and lifestyles. To this end, METI newly added questions about the enterprises’ situation of developing an environment for the use of PHRs.

2. Creation of new markets

With a view to a future discussion on the international dissemination and promotion of　KENKO Investment for Health , METI added new questions to the survey to more specifically ascertain enterprises’ current progress made in promoting KENKO Investment for Health, including their overseas subsidiaries, and to ascertain the countries on which enterprises have been placing weight and their implementation policies for KENKO Investment for Health in such countries.

3. Spread and establishment of KENKO Investment for Health in society

According to the results of the FY2024 survey, it was found that some enterprises were not making progress in supporting their employees in striking a balance between work and nursing care. In addition, in March 2024, METI published the Guidelines for Business Owners on Supporting Work-and Nursing care Balance of Employees. In light of these, METI separated the questions on childcare subject to enterprises in the Large Enterprise Category and added new questions on work and nursing care.

In addition, METI will assess the efforts in KENKO Investment for Health taken by enterprises that cover non-regular employees who are not always on duty.

Moreover, METI considers it important to encourage enterprises with a small number of employees to promote KENKO Investment for Health in accordance with the actual status of their efforts. From this perspective, METI introduced special treatment to relax some of the requirements for the recognition of small enterprises on a trial basis.

3. Feedback to respondent enterprises

Following on from the previous survey, METI will issue to enterprises that have responded to the survey (in the Large Enterprise Category) and applicants for the Bright 500 (in the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category) feedback sheets that describe the ranking of evaluation results, deviation scores, and other data about all respondents.

In addition, from FY2024, METI will request applications for the Bright 500 Program to disclose their feedback sheets on their websites as a requirement for such enterprises to be recognized as the Bright 500 or the Next Bright 1000, aiming to further expand the base on which SMEs will promote KENKO Investment for Health and to encourage enterprises that have already been engaging in such management to fortify their efforts.

4. Selection of KENKO Investment for Health

METI and the TSE will jointly select exceptional TSE-listed enterprises engaging in KENKO Investment for Health and present such enterprises to investors as attractive investment options. These enterprises are evaluated based on their responses to the 2024 Survey on KENKO Investment for Health.

• Reference: KENKO Investment for Health (in Japanese)

5. Future schedule

• Response period for the 2024 Survey on KENKO Investment for Health
  From Monday, August 19, to 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 11, 2024
• Application period for the 2025 Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category)
  From Monday, August 19, to 5:00 p.m., Friday, October 18, 2024
• Announcement of selected and recognized enterprises
  Scheduled to be around March 2025

Note: The term “KENKO Investment for Health” is a registered trademark of the Nonprofit Organization Kenkokeiei.

Division in Charge

Healthcare Industries Division, Commerce and Service Industry Policy Group

Inquiries should be directed to:

Secretariat of the Outstanding Organizations of KENKO Investment for Health Program (Nikkei Inc.)
Contact: Nikkei Research, Inc.
Tel: 03-5296-5172 (service hours: from 10:00 to 17:30 on weekdays)
Large Enterprise Category: health_survey@nikkei-r.co.jp
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Category: kenkoujimu@nikkei-r.co.jp