Using characters to create a comfortable space within the hospital | Jikei University Kids Comfort Project | Creating a child-friendly space

SEGA Corporation (Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director President and CEO: Shuji Utsumi; hereinafter referred to as SEGA) and NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director President and CEO Kiyotaka Okumoto; hereinafter referred to as NOMURA Co.,Ltd., Ltd.) renovated the entrance to the pediatric department on the first floor and the treatment rooms on the fifth floor of the Maternal and Child Health Center at Tokyo Jikei University School of Medicine Hospital on Friday, December 6, 2024, to create a space where outpatient children and their guardians can feel the hospital's appeal and familiarity.
This area utilizes Sega's character IPs such as "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Puyo Puyo," aiming to create an entrance space where children can wait without getting bored and with peace of mind, and a treatment room designed to minimize any sense of fear.

This project was initiated by Dr. Kimihiko Oishi, Head of Clinical Services and Professor of Pediatrics at Tokyo Jikei University School of Medicine, who, based on his own experience working in healthcare in the United States, felt that the current hospital environment was "new and beautiful, but...is it a comfortable place for children? What about for their families? And what about for the staff who work there?"
Professor Oishi's desire to create a "comfortable space," a "safe place to visit," and a "hospital environment that alleviates anxiety" for children resonated with Sega and NOMURA Co.,Ltd., Ltd. Sega provided support by collaborating on creating the environment through content and characters, while NOMURA Co.,Ltd. was responsible for the planning, design, layout, and construction of the space.
The project's concept is "A hospital with a story."
We are creating a space and implementing mechanisms to foster in children receiving treatment at the hospital the mindset to face their treatment and overcome it themselves. Children will enjoy an original story set in the hospital, featuring Sega characters, becoming the protagonist—the "hero"—and learning about their own bodies and treatments together with the characters. We will gradually create a hospital space with a story that supports the healing power of the minds and bodies of children as they try to overcome their illnesses.

■ Area Introduction

<Maternal and Child Medical Center 1st floor entrance>

We aimed to create a space where children and their guardians visiting the outpatient clinic can feel comfortable and at ease while waiting. Graphics of Sonic & Friends, who are close to the children and support their recovery, are placed throughout the space, and the environment of the first-floor waiting room is concept design to evoke the beginning of a "story" in which children face illness together.

<Maternal and Child Medical Center, 5th floor treatment room>

In a group discussion with medical staff working at the Jikei University School of Medicine Maternal and Child Medical Center, many of them expressed a desire to ease the "anxiety" they felt about treatment. As a solution, we placed Puyo Puyo characters to guide them from the hallway in the treatment room, which children find particularly frightening. Furthermore, by adding Puyo Puyo images, we aim to create a treatment room where children feel less anxious by creating a space surrounded by lively characters.

■Comments from each representative
<Kimihiko Oishi, Director of the Pediatrics Department at the Jikei University Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics>

"Contributing to protecting children's health: from developmental medicine to advanced medical care" is the mission of the Department of Pediatrics at Tokyo Jikei University School of Medicine. As I constantly explored what I could do to fulfill this mission, I repeatedly recalled my experience at an American hospital where I previously worked. There, children's heroes, such as athletes, provided various forms of support through donations, and I witnessed firsthand how their actions and the spaces they created empowered children. From this experience, I strongly felt the need to make the newly constructed maternal and child medical center a space where children could regain their spirits.
As we were considering how to realize this vision, Sega Corporation and NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Ltd. shared our vision, and we decided to launch the "Jikei University Kids Comfort Project: Creating Child-Friendly Spaces" together.
This project aims to "create a safe and comfortable space for children who are patients, their families, and the medical staff involved." We are truly delighted that this initiative will mark a new stage in protecting children's health, and we express our deepest gratitude to Sega Corporation and NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Co., Ltd. for their tremendous efforts.
All of us at the Department of Pediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, will redouble our efforts in this new environment and strive to contribute to the health and well-being of children.

<Haruki Satomi Representative Director President & Group CEO of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. and Representative Director & CEO of Sega Corporation>

The Sega Sammy Group's mission and purpose is to "Continue to create moving experiences - making society more energetic and colorful" and to provide moving experiences to people all over the world through the power of entertainment.
I feel very honored to be able to contribute to creating a safe and secure environment for children at the Pediatrics Department of the Jikei University Hospital.
This project was initiated by issues in the medical field reported to us by our employees. We deeply sympathized with the desire of Professor Oishi and other medical professionals to "create an environment where children can spend their time with a positive attitude," and decided to support them with SEGA's content and characters.
We hope that the Sega characters will bring energy and hope to hospitalized children and their families, as well as medical professionals, and help with treatment. Going forward, the Sega Sammy Group will continue to use its entertainment power to be a part of your daily life and provide moving experiences.

<Kiyotaka Okumoto Representative Director President and CEO NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Co., Ltd.>

NOMURA Co.,Ltd. has delivered much "Delight and Passion" through space creation.
In this project, with the cooperation of Sega, we created a space that embodies the concept of a "hospital with a story," depicting a narrative in which children overcome illness together with the characters.
This time, in order to consider spatial concept design, we conducted interviews with everyone at Jikei University Hospital. We listened to the anxieties and hopes of patients and their families, as well as the joys and worries of the hospital staff's work, and considered solutions to make the pediatrics department more appealing. We aimed to create a space that feels safe and healing, based on a concept design, so that each child can weave their own "story."
Our company will continue to contribute to creating better hospitals by providing comfortable and functional spaces for patients, their families, and healthcare professionals who visit hospitals.

■ Introduction of each company
<The Jikei University School of Medicine Hospital>
Originating from the Seiikai Training School opened in 1881 (Meiji 14), the university was established in 1921 (Taisho 10) as the first private medical university established under the University Act. Under the founding principle of "treat the patient, not the disease," the university practices patient-centered medical care. The Jikei University School Corporation has four affiliated hospitals, including the hospital itself, and aims to be a university and affiliated hospital that leads medical care, education, and research, from community medicine to advanced medicine, and from basic research to clinical research, by utilizing its collaboration with local medical institutions.

＜SEGA Corporation＞
SEGA Corporation develops its business around the planning, development, sales, and operation of games for home consoles, PCs, and smartphones, and also plans, develops, and sells digital services and character products, including prizes, utilizing the know-how it has cultivated in the game business. In the game business, the company provides game content developed in studios in Japan and overseas to the world through bases in Japan and around the world.

< NOMURA Co.,Ltd. Co., Ltd.>
Nomura Kogeisha is a comprehensive spatial design company that handles everything from planning, concept design, construction, operation, management of commercial facilities, hotels, corporate PR facilities, workplaces, exhibitions, museums, and more. The group as a whole operates with 10 locations in Japan and 8 overseas, and 6 group companies both domestically and internationally. Leveraging the comprehensive capabilities cultivated since 1892 (Meiji 25), we deliver "Delight and Passion" to people by providing spatial value that fuses the physical and virtual.