Rising

NPO Founder - Hiroki Komazaki With many children across Japan unable to find a place in nursery daycare, Hiroki Komazaki, CEO of NPO Florence, is leading efforts to meet the childcare needs of working families. From 2010, using empty urban properties, he launched daycare centers with space for 10 kids, successfully pushing for nationwide licensing for nurseries with fewer than 20 places. His other innovations include Japan's first home daycare service for sick children, and services for kids with disabilities.

Japanese Laundry Goes Global Makoto Seino & Toshiyuki Abe In Bangkok, Thailand, a Japanese-style dry cleaning and laundry service is currently attracting widespread attention. Driving this success are the efforts of local factory manager Makoto Seino, and sales representative Toshiyuki Abe. The firm's superlative service combines Japanese methods with skilled local operators and the latest machinery. We follow 2 men embracing a foreign culture to promote Japanese-style cleanliness overseas.

Social Entrepreneur - Toshihiro Nakamura Toshihiro Nakamura (42) founded a social business providing technology based on the principles of simplicity, durability and affordability to developing countries. The goal is to improve lifestyles, while boosting both productivity and incomes. From solar lanterns for areas without electricity, to simple water filters for regions lacking clean water, and devices to boost agricultural productivity. We follow a small business seeking to address poverty through the promotion of technology.

Home Health Care Pioneer - Shinsuke Muto At-home medical care. But unlike traditional on-call emergency care, this service sees doctors and nurses visit patients regularly, as part of a treatment plan. With some 26% of Japan's population now aged 65 or over, more and more elderly patients are limited to their homes. Physician Shinsuke Muto is revolutionizing home health care, with clinics whose dispatch staff utilizes communications technology to optimize efficiency, and similar schemes in tsunami-hit Ishinomaki and aging Singapore.

Prosthetic Limb Researcher - Masahiro Kasuya In Switzerland this fall, athletes and the technologies behind their prosthetic limbs were put to the test at the world's first Cybathlon. The competition attracted researchers from around the world. Masahiro Kasuya brings 2 innovative technologies: a prosthetic hand that allows control of each finger individually and a technology that allows people paralyzed from the waist down to pedal a bicycle. Meet the young researcher who hopes to eliminate physical barriers from around the world.

Entrepreneur - Hiroyuki Goto To rent an apartment in Japan, tenants have long needed to name a guarantor - usually Japanese, with a steady income. But this rule, intended to safeguard owners against non-payment of rent, can exclude non-Japanese from the housing market. Hiroyuki Goto runs a firm striving to promote Japan's internationalization with a guarantor service for international students, and multilingual support that helps foreign clients navigate complex garbage-disposal rules and other potential difficulties.

Veg Delivery Pioneer - Ryozo Kawagishi As diets in Japan become increasingly Westernized, obesity and lifestyle diseases are on the rise. Average daily intake of fruit and vegetables is well below the recommended minimum, and falling year by year. Ryozo Kawagishi (34) is the CEO of Kompeito, a business changing attitudes to fresh produce by providing fruit and veg for office workers to snack on during break times. And with its update on traditional Japanese medicine, this service is also providing a boost for farmers nationwide.