This project was launched in FY2025 to reexamine social systems based on care and building the foundations of a society in which people naturally connect, support each other, and find meaning in life.
The project promotes the entire process in an integrated manner, from visualizing care and its value to implementing, verifying, and refining strategies for revising social systems based on a mutually interdependent view of humanity in real-world settings (PoC: Proof of Concept), grounded in the value of care thus visualized.
In recent years, intense discussions have emerged around societal challenges such as population decline, aging population, low birthrates, regional population imbalances, and the growing severity of natural disasters, all of which impact both present and future societies. Each of these challenges has the potential to profoundly transform, or even weaken, the communities in which we live. In the face of these rapid changes, it seems that we humans must reflect on past actions and reassess our relationships with one another and with the global environment to build a society that can survive and flexibly recover from crisis situations. At the heart of these challenges, there is a fundamental issue: a lack of "care" - an act that encompasses concern, appreciation, and consideration for others and the environment.
We now face the harsh reality that sustaining our world is becoming increasingly difficult. How can we sustain this world, or perhaps work toward its restoration? Perhaps what we need is to “be together” with diverse life forms and the global environment and a caring attitude based on a deepened sense of coexistence in which we actively acknowledge and value the interdependence of all life forms.
On the other hand, care, which is fundamentally about caring for and valuing others, can sometimes lead to violence or discrimination. When care is seen as a one-way act, with one party providing care and the other receiving it, the recipient may be seen as inherently weak. It has often been pointed out that care work, such as housework, childcare and long-term care, is performed by specific groups rather than being shared by all due to household labor divisions. When intertwined with issues such as social inequalities or discrimination, care can symbolize a burden. Why is care destined to be associated with such social complications? We need to cultivate innovative ideas and designs that re-examine and reframe the phenomena involving “care” noted here, learn from the spaces, bodies, and environments that naturally foster care, and work towards reclaiming the value of "being together.” In this Focus Area, we aim to promote research that cultivates this kind of care towards the establishment of a care-based society.
In the face of accelerating population decline, aging populations, and low birthrates, there is a growing need for spontaneous and functional communities in which people can support one another, as well as infrastructure that interacts harmoniously with the surrounding environment. To achieve this, it is essential to scientifically demonstrate the value of care, which arises naturally from an awareness of others, oneself, and the external environment, and to integrate this understanding into real communities and living environments that extend beyond long-term care, childcare, and housework to include neighborhood watches, helping others, education, community development, and local activities.
The initiatives in this R&D Focus Area aim to integrate care more deeply into society, adopting an interdependence perspective that recognizes “human beings are inherently vulnerable and require both giving and receiving care.” The ultimate goal of this Focus Area is to "initiate spontaneous demonstrations in multiple regions of community formation in which people naturally care for and support one another, as well as of living foundations—including infrastructure—that enable reciprocal interactions between people and the natural environment."
R&D projects in this Focus Area will be required to make significant progress in identifying real-world implementation fields, verifying their research outcomes, and demonstrating either a care community that fosters mutual support or an infrastructure that enables people to engage with their environment in a mutually beneficial way.
R&D in this Focus Area will focus on "visualizing and practicing care."
Here, "visualizing" goes beyond simply analyzing fields of care to elucidate the mechanism of care and its values. It involves conceptualizing the redefinition of the value of care from historical, social, artistic, cultural, and educational perspectives, identifying the forms of care that will need to be practiced in future societies, and developing a framework for a society in which such care is deeply embedded.
“Practicing” refers to the process of building models and other frameworks that enable the discovered value of care to permeate among people, introducing these into real-world settings and conducting verification and improvement.
The program supports integrated research and development that includes the elements both of “Visualizing” and “Practicing”.
The aspects of care and its associated value, which are usually overlooked, will be made visible through the implementation of either R&D Element (1)-1 or (1)-2 as set out below.
R&D that explores the often-overlooked aspects of care and its value, by closely observing and analyzing individuals engaged in care and their backgrounds.
R&D that explores by examining care from a broader perspective, incorporating history, society, art, culture, education and other dimensions of human behavior.
Based on the value of care visualized in R&D Element 1, the project will implement, verify, and refine strategies for revising social systems based on a mutually interdependent view of humanity in real-world settings (PoC: Proof of Concept). Additionally, through workshops and community dialogues, the project will engage the public in discussions about the vision of a care-based society as an outcome of the R&D project, while fostering the gradual and voluntary involvement of residents and other stakeholders.
