Professor, Smart Aging Research Center, Tohoku University
President, Murata Associates, Inc.
Hiro Murata is the most pioneer of 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 develop various 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 mobile phone, the first college-linked retirement community in Japan, and various leading-edge retirement housings.
He serves as Professor at Smart-Aging Research Center (SARC) at Tohoku University in Sendai, Japan. Not only he created the concept of “Smart-Aging” but also, he contributed to establish the Smart-Aging Square, the aging-business-on-campus with various industry partners and the Smart-Aging College, the intergenerational school on the campus. Both are the first implementation in Japanese national universities.
He contributed the export of “Learning Therapy”, a non-pharmaceutical dementia improvement program developed by Tohoku University, to the USA. He now operates “Smart-Aging College Tokyo” to support total 408 leading companies who wish to create health longevity support business.
He 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. Senior Shift Impact: how to change the super Aging societies into business, one of his best-selling books has been published in Chinese and Korean version. The Successful Business of Aging: turning the super-aged society into business opportunities is also published in Chinese. His recent book is “Smart Aging: 10 secrets to live well in the 100-year life era”.
He 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.
He is a frequent commentator to many leading media, including 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.
He 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 EU, Germany, Italy, France, Singapore, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He was elected as a Global Aging Influencer by Aging Asia Innovation Forum 2018.
He holds a Master’s degree of 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」
