DX Service "FIKAIGO" Streamlines Back-Office Tasks in Nursing Care Facilities, To Be Deployed in All SOMPO Care Residential Homes- Time-cost reductions expected in shift scheduling, attendance management and paperwork by up to 90% for more than 10,000 staff members -

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Shingo Ueno) has developed a digital transformation (DX) service called "FIKAIGO" aimed at improving operational efficiency in nursing care facilities by automating back-office tasks such as shift scheduling. The service was developed with the expertise and operational knowledge provided by SOMPO Care, Inc. (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Takamitsu Washimi) and has already been introduced at 12 of SOMPO Care's facilities. The rollout will continue, with full deployment planned across all 290 SOMPO Care residential homes by August 2025, ultimately providing service to more than 10,000 care workers.

The State of Japan's Nursing Care Industry

In Japan's super-aged society, demand for nursing care continues to rise while the labor force in the sector is shrinking. According to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare projections, Japan will face a shortfall of 570,000 care workers by 2040 (*1). In addition to this labor shortage, facilities spend an average of 44 hours each month per location (*2) on administrative tasks like shift planning and document preparation – processes that remain largely manual and heavily dependent on individual expertise. Addressing this inefficiency is an urgent matter.

Key Features of FIKAIGO

FIKAIGO is a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) platform that automates time-consuming manual tasks such as shift creation and preparation of regulatory documents. Tailored specifically to the nursing care sector, it is compliant with the complex staffing rules required by Japan's Long-Term Care Insurance Act and enables effective monitoring and compliance.

1. Automated Shift Scheduling
   Based on the preferred days off that employees enter, the system automatically generates work schedules using factors such as worker skills, labor agreements and legal staffing requirements (under the Long-Term Care Insurance Act). This not only significantly reduces scheduling time but also ensures fairness and transparency, helping to increase staff satisfaction.
2. Automated Legal Compliance
   By integrating with attendance management systems, FIKAIGO collects actual work data and automatically checks whether facilities meet staffing standards and additional compensation criteria as outlined by the Long-Term Care Insurance Act. If standards are not met, the system issues alerts, enabling proactive corrections and compliant operations.
3. Automated Generation of Regulatory Documents
   FIKAIGO can auto-generate legally required documents in the official format specified by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, simplifying the reporting process for staffing and compensation claims.

These automations are projected to reduce time spent on shift scheduling and document preparation by approximately 90% (*3).
The system also includes internal communication tools, such as a chat feature and notice board, enabling real-time shift coordination among staff.

As part of the SOMPO Group, SOMPO Care leads the Group's nursing care services under the mission: "Transforming nursing care in Japan and building better futures." The company is dedicated to improving care quality, leveraging data and technology to benefit residents, employees, the broader industry, local communities and society at large.
To address the industry's labor shortage, SOMPO Care promotes an environment where all front-line employees – including administrators, caregivers and care managers – can focus on what only humans can provide: compassionate, personalized care. Facility administrators, who shoulder a wide range of responsibilities including shift management and staff development, benefit significantly from tech-enabled support. By reducing their workload, FIKAIGO enhances both management efficiency and organizational resilience. With this shared vision, SOMPO Care and Sumitomo Corporation joined forces to develop and deploy FIKAIGO, with the broader goal of supporting the entire Japanese care industry.

In line with its Medium-Term Management Plan, Sumitomo Corporation is prioritizing the healthcare sector as a growth area. In Japan, this includes expanding its pharmacy chain Tomod's and contributing to the development of community-based integrated care systems. Moving forward, the company will promote FIKAIGO to care providers nationwide, seeking to expand its functions and link it with existing businesses to help solve issues in Japan's aging society.

Together, Sumitomo Corporation and SOMPO Care aim to alleviate burdens on care workers, improve operational efficiency at facilities and create better, more fulfilling workplaces – ultimately helping resolve the industry's labor shortage.

(*1) From the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Current Status of Securing Human Resources for Nursing Care" (as of May 9, 2025)(PDF/9530KB)
(*2) Based on a Sumitomo Corporation survey of 100 nursing care facilities
(*3) Calculated by Sumitomo Corporation based on verification results from multiple SOMPO Care facilities

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