President, Murata Associates, Inc.
Professor, Smart-Aging Research Center, Tohoku University
Hiro Murata is the leading expert on active aging business in Japan and an internationally recognized thought leader on aging society issues. He has worked with over 1,000 companies and contributed to the development of innovative products and services such as Curves in Japan, the world’s largest fitness chain for women; Raku-Raku Phone, the best-selling age-friendly cellphone; the first college-linked retirement community in Japan; and various leading-edge retirement housing projects.
Hiro serves as Professor at the Smart-Aging Research Center (SARC) at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. He not only created the concept of “Smart-Aging,” but also contributed to establishing the Smart-Aging Square at Tohoku, an aging-business-on-campus program with various industry partners, and the Smart-Aging College, an intergenerational school on the campus. Both are the first implementations of their kind at a Japanese national university.
Hiro contributed the export to the United States of “Learning Therapy, “a non-pharmaceutical dementia improvement program developed by Tohoku University. He now operates “Smart-Aging College Tokyo” that supports a total of 408 leading companies that wish to create health longevity support businesses.
Hiro is an entrepreneur, business producer, gerontologist, and best-selling author of several books, including The Business of Aging: 10 Successful Strategies for a Diverse Market, and Seven Paradigm Shifts in Thinking about the Business of Aging, Retirement Moratorium: What Will the Not-Retired Boomers Change? and The Smart Aging Way: How to Vitalize Your Life as You Age. They have been described as “must read books” by more than 30 leading publications including Nikkei, Nikkei Business, Yomiuri, and Japan Industry News.
One of his best-selling books, Senior Shift Impact: How to Change the Super Aging Societies into Businesses, has been published in Chinese and Korean versions. The Successful Business of Aging: Turning the Super-Aged Society into Business Opportunities has also been published in Chinese. His most recent book is “Smart Aging: 10 Secrets to Live Well in the 100-year Life Era”.
Hiro also serves as many public positions such as a committee member of Cabinet Office, Japanese -style innovation System Creation Committee by METI, New Healthcare Industry Creating Forum by Chubu METI, and Silver Service Vision Committee by Silver Service Association. He also serves to Hong Kong Polytechnic University as an International Advisor, and KARP (Korean Association of Retired Persons) as the first Japanese advisor.
Hiro is a frequent commentator on aging issues to many leading media, including The Wall Street Journal, Nikkei, Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi, Japan Industry News, Newsweek Japan, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, New York Times, Dow Jones, The Economist, Silver Industry News, TBS, NTV, Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, NHK, and BBC.
Hiro is also a frequently invited speaker by non-Japanese organizations such as WHO Global Aging Forum, AARP, LeadingAge, WDA Forum in Switzerland, Pacific Health Summit in the UK, and many industrial and academic organizations in Europe and Asia. He was recognized as a Global Aging Influencer in 2018 and a Super Ageing Japan Outstanding Entrepreneur 2024 by the Asia-Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards based in Singapore.
Hiro holds a Master’s degree in Engineering from Tohoku University Graduate School of Engineering, and a MBA from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (French Nationale Grand Ecole) in Paris. He speaks fluent English, French, and Japanese.
くもんスペシャルインタビュー「人生100年時代に向け、自分の好きを見つけて自分軸で生きていこう」
