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FIRSTSTAR Healthcare

Business Experts in Medical and Nursing care.

Topix

03/03/2025
Our company representative, Nishikawa, attended the Mirai Health Lab event “Hibike Kenko no Waon♪ The Harmony of the Mind and Body Brought by Music,” organized by the Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, on February 23, 2025. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the many attendees who joined us for this event. Thank you very much!
01/22/2025
Our representative, Nishikawa, participated as a panelist in the Life Sciences session at the 54th Japan-Midwest U.S. Conference – Japan-U.S. Joint Meeting.
01/21/2025
We have updated our business achievements – New project as an AMED Project Evaluation Committee member.
01/20/2025
Our representative, Nishikawa, participated as one of the coaches in INSPIRE – Venture Studio, a venture support event hosted by Nagoya University.
01/19/2025
Our representative, Nishikawa, participated as a speaker in Future Corporation’s free web seminar.
01/18/2025
We registered as a Medical Device Manufacturer

SCROLL

INNOVATION

To support innovation in medical and nursing care,

we primarily focus on two main businesses.

Personalized music therapy system

Focusing on the ‘harmony (mainly chord progressions)’ of music, we quantify it based on music theory. The system compares and analyzes the user’s mental and physical condition with the progression of the music, allowing for customization.

Training for Managers

We provide essential tools for managers in the medical, nursing care, and healthcare settings, including problem-solving, logical thinking, project management, and communication techniques tailored to staff characteristics. Our training on various methods for talent acquisition and recruitment to address staffing shortages is also highly popular.

Music Mental Health App. "Carechords"

Carechords is a music therapy app currently under development by Firststar Healthcare Co., Ltd. Designed as a personalized music therapy system, it delivers music with harmonies (chord progressions) that promote mental and physical well-being, tailored to the user’s psychological state and supported by real-time biometric data.
Through our Proof of Concept (PoC) studies, we have demonstrated that music positively influences various independent mood states, such as Anger-Hostility, Confusion-Bewilderment, Depression-Dejection, Fatigue-Inertia, and Tension-Anxiety, as well as the resting heart rate.
This app is part of the rapidly growing field of Digital Therapeutics, which is gaining significant attention internationally.

Individually customizable

It can provide music tailored to the user's mental and physical condition. The system suggests and allows users to select music with customized harmonies (chord progressions). Integration with wearable devices is also envisioned.

The patent has already been obtained.

This product is patented in Japan (Patent No. 7402577). Overseas application (PCT application) has been completed. According to the written opinion from the International Searching Authority, all claims are deemed to have novelty, inventive step, and industrial applicability.

Initiated collaborative research with Nagoya University.

Currently, we have started collaborative research* with Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine using a system prototype focusing on Confusion-Bewilderment, which is strongly related to dementia. We are also progressing with the product development in overseas markets, including the United States.

*　A study on the response characteristics of elderly brains to emotionally evocative music

Creating 'Me Time' for Families and Caregivers

By listening to music and relaxing, users also create more space for those around them. The system is designed for a wide range of uses, including at home, in care facilities, public spaces, and more.

TRAINING

Training for Managers

We offer training to help people acquire the necessary skills for management positions in the medical, nursing care, and healthcare sectors. Our programs are highly praised for being 'easy to understand' and 'practical for the field.' We can provide customized plans and implementations tailored to the specific needs of each organization.

Problem-solving methods

You will learn various problem-solving techniques in logical thinking, such as logic trees, value chains, and fishbone diagrams, as well as project management methods like Work Breakdown Structure. In addition to classroom instruction, practical group work using real-world cases will be included.

Talent acquisition

You will learn effective methods for creating websites, selecting recruitment agencies and staffing firms, and streamlining and optimizing the hiring process. The training also aims to improve employee satisfaction and increase retention rates.

Situational Leadership

By adapting leadership styles according to the individual abilities and situations of staff, efficient operations are achieved, leading to the provision of high-quality services to patients and users.

Effective Communication

You will learn communication skills tailored to the work situation and the environment of the counterpart. The training also includes negotiation techniques, which are essential for managers when dealing with conflicts of interest between departments or different professional roles.

Contact us for management training and opportunities to use and collaborate with the Carechords app.

We have helped organize and improve various issues in the field. Drawing on our extensive knowledge and experience, we support innovation in the medical, nursing care, and healthcare sectors by developing our own healthcare apps and providing training to enhance the skills needed for management positions.

CEO, Kuniko Nishikawa

Graduated from the Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Stanford University, USA. 

Worked at Citibank N.A. Tokyo branch and its New York headquarters, followed by A.T. Kearney, a global management consulting firm. Later, served as the president of Supernurse, a nursing staffing company, for nearly 10 years, achieving profitability and building a strong growth foundation.

Driven by the desire to contribute broadly to the healthcare and caregiving industries beyond just the staffing sector, she founded FIRSTSTAR Healthcare Inc. in 2010, and have continued to lead the company to this day.

During this time, she was invited to take on the role of CEO at Benesse MCM Inc. and FRONTEO Healthcare Inc., where she successfully built the foundation for business growth and profitability. 

Additionally, she served as an outside director for several companies, including Regional Economy Vitalization Corporation of Japan (REVIC) (until June 2018), Omron Corporation (until June 2020), AIG Japan Holdings, Gunma Bank, Panasonic Corporation (until March 2025), and Kewpie Corporation. 

Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), certified by the CFA Institute, USA.

Executive Member of the Keizai Doyukai (Japan Association of Corporate Executives).

Achievements

Conducted nurse management training program supervised by Johns Hopkins University, USA.
Implemented the 'Building the City with the Power of Nursing' initiative, employing nurses to support the recovery efforts in Kamaishi City, which was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) FY2012 Research Project on the Overseas Expansion of Japanese Medical Devices and Services (Research Project on Business Feasibility for Overseas Expansion). Conducted research on the expansion of Japanese-style medical services in China, including the examination of business models and compiling the results.
Collaborative research with Associate Professor Yukie Takemura of the Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, on 'Competencies in the Cognitive and Thought Domains of Nurse Managers.' A subsequent joint research project has been launched(until March 2023).
Appointed as an Evaluation Committee Member of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED).

Etc. For more details, please refer to the achievements page.

COMPANY

Company Overview

FIRSTSTAR Healthcare provides practical and concrete solutions based on our extensive experience, knowledge, and wide network developed over the years.

Company Name: FIRSTSTAR Healthcare Inc.
Address: 4-3 Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Excina Yotsuya 201

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