On July 9, 2021, Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, "Marubeni"), MTI Ltd. (hereinafter ,"MTI") and CARADA medica Inc. (hereinafter, "CARADA medica") signed a memorandum of understanding for a business alliance regarding joint development of a comprehensive femtech (*1) program (hereinafter, the “Program”) that will support the improvement of health issues pertaining to women in the workforce.

【Background】
According to a survey by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the labor loss of women due to menstrual symptoms is 491.1 billion yen per year; the economic effect of improvements in menstruation symptoms, infertility treatment, and menopausal symptoms is expected to be about 2 trillion yen per year in 2025. In promoting women’s health management, it is important for companies to tackle health issues at various life stages, including menstruation.
In response to growing health management needs, Marubeni has been moving to participate in the femtech business, while MTI and CARADA medica have been developing services through program demonstrations.

【About the Program】
The Program provides online consultation and medical services, as well as educational services, in collaboration with medical institutions to improve menstrual pain and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), support fertility and infertility treatment, and support symptoms that appear during menopause. The Program consistently supports the improvement of health issues faced by working women at each life stage.

In addition, this program has been adopted by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s "FY2021 Subsidy Project for Demonstration Projects for Femtech and Similar Support Services" (*2).

Marubeni, MTI, and CARADA medica will work together to further develop their efforts in the femtech field by utilizing Marubeni's corporate network and MTI and CARADA medica’s knowledge and experience in the development and operation of healthcare services. Through demonstrations and collaboration with corporations and local governments, the partners will develop the Program further, and through the Program will support the improvement of quality of life (QOL) and engagement of women in the workforce.

Below is an outline of each company’s initatives in femtech to date.

Marubeni:
Aiming to create new businesses in the femtech field, Marubeni has set up a project team and holds in-house demonstrations including seminars for literacy improvement.
MTI:
Pursuing a society where many people can live healthy and prosperous lives through various healthcare services. Among MTI’s initatives is, "Luna Luna", which supports women according to their life stages and worries, as well as providing overall health support from menstrual day management to pregnancy and childbirth. From November 2020, "FEMCATION (*3)", a project to spread understanding of women's bodies and minds, will be launched as a part of "Luna Luna".
CARADA medica:
Providing a Q&A service where doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals answer questions and concerns about health, CARADA medica also provides an online medical care system for medical institutions and pharmacies. In particular, the online medical care system for obstetrics and gynecology, "Luna Luna Online Medical Care," provides services for corporations to help improve problems facing their customers such as menstrual symptoms.

(*1) Femtech: A coined word that combines “female” and “technology”. The word refers to technology specifically used to solve women’s health problems.
(*2) Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Subsidy Project for Demonstration Projects for Femtech and Similar Support Services under the FY2021 Initial Budget.
URL：https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2021/0428_001.html
(*3) FEMCATION (trademark registration pending): A coined word that combines "female” and ”education”, and refers to educating people about women’s issues.

＜Company Profile＞
Company Name	：	Marubeni Corporation
Office	：	4-2, Otemachi 1 Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8088, Japan
President and CEO	：	Masumi Kakinoki
Website	：	https://www.marubeni.com/en/
Company Name	：	MTI Ltd.
Office	：	35th Floor, Tokyo Opera City Tower 3-20-2,Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 163-1435, Japan
President and CEO	：	Toshihiro Maeta
Website	：	https://www.mti.co.jp/eng/
Main Business	：	Content distribution for mobile phones
Company Name	：	CARADA Medica.Inc
Office	：	35th Floor, Tokyo Opera City Tower 3-20-2,Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 163-1435, Japan
CEO	：	Seitaro Sugawara
Website	：	https://caradamedica.co.jp/about
Main Business	：	Healthcare content distribution for mobile