Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Nutraceuticals
March 16, 2016

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Enters Into Health Promotion Partnership with Okayama Prefecture

  • Signed on March 15, 2016, the Health Promotion Partnership aims to support Healthy Okayama 21*1goals for extended healthy life expectancy*2and enhanced quality of life (QOL) for Okayama Prefecture residents.
  • Otsuka will utilize its expertise in areas such as heat stroke countermeasures, prevention of lifestyle-related illnesses, nutritional education, sports promotions, and disaster countermeasures, working together with the Okayama Prefecture government and other organizations to promote healthy lifestyles.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Head Office Tokyo, Japan; President: Tatsuo Higuchi) has entered into a Health Promotion Partnership with Okayama Prefecture, aiming to support the Healthy Okayama 21 program and its goals. The partnership agreement was signed on March 15 at the Okayama Prefecture Government Offices.

Signing Ceremony at the Okayama Prefecture Government Offices

Signing Ceremony at the Okayama Prefecture Government Offices
Right: Ryuta Ibaragi, governer, Okayama Prefecture
Left: Koichi Shiraishi, manager, Hiroshima Branch Office

As a comprehensive healthcare company, Otsuka Pharmaceutical is engaged in various health-related partnerships with local governments and other entities. Though Okayama Prefecture ranks high in average life expectancy, concerns about healthy longevity remain and the government has initiated programs*3 aiming to extend the healthy life expectancy of prefectural residents. Due to the relatively high number of heat disorder patients transported by ambulance and the designation of several towns and cities as Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Countermeasure Promotion Areas, heat stroke countermeasures and earthquake response readiness are priority concerns for Okayama Prefecture. Otsuka has already launched several health promotion and education initiatives in cooperation with the prefectural government. Now, under the new Health Promotion Partnership, Otsuka will partner with Okayama Prefecture to maximize expertise in areas such as heat stroke countermeasures, prevention of lifestyle-related illnesses, nutritional education, sports promotion, and disaster countermeasures, aiming to contribute to the health and wellbeing and extended healthy life expectancy of Okayama Prefecture residents.

The agreement covers a broad range of mutual initiatives that maximize the resources and capabilities of Otsuka Pharmaceutical and Iwate Prefecture, including but not limited to activities outlined below.

  1. 1Initiatives to promote health and wellbeing
  2. 2Initiatives related to heatstroke countermeasures
  3. 3Promotion of nutritional education
  4. 4Disaster-related initiatives (provision of foods and beverages for disaster relief and dissemination of information on disaster countermeasures)
  5. 5Other initiatives to promote the health of prefectural residents

Based on our corporate philosophy of 'Otsuka - people creating new products for better health worldwide', Otsuka Pharmaceutical is dedicated to the development of innovative products that contribute to the health of people around the world.

  1. 1Healthy Okayama 21: Okayama Prefecture action plan to promote health and wellbeing of prefectural residents.
  2. 2Healthy life expectancy (HALE): Length of life that an individual lives without limitation in daily activities due to health problems (Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)
  3. 3Hare-no-Kuni 33 Program: Encourages participation in three lifestyle affirmation activities for three-month periods in three-person groups of friends or neighbors.

REFERENCE

Including the Health Promotion Partnership with Okayama Prefecture, Otsuka Pharmaceutical has entered into cooperative agreements with nine prefectures throughout Japan (Kanagawa Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture)