Atsuko Taguchi: A Matching System for Mutual Aid

2021/06/22

Interest in digitalization and ICT is growing across all research fields. This is also true in my field of public health nursing. For the past four years, I have been working with the NPO Kirari Yoshijima Network in the Yoshijima district of Kawanishi Town, Yamagata Prefecture, exploring how ICT can be used to support residents' daily lives and health management. Kirari Yoshijima Network is a rare example of a neighborhood association in Japan where every household in the district is a member. Kawanishi Town is located in the southern part of Yamagata Prefecture and is a heavy snowfall area where residents spend much of the winter shoveling snow. The current population is approximately 15,000, with an aging rate of 37.3%. Over the past 20 years, the population has declined annually, and the birthrate has fallen while the population ages, causing neighborhood association functions to become mere formalities and unsustainable. Therefore, the neighborhood association was incorporated with the aim of reorganizing into an entity where local residents can cooperate and collaborate across generations, and where regional resources can be consolidated and utilized to promote growth. To get to the point, given that the declining birthrate, aging population, and manpower shortages will become even more severe in the future, the Yoshijima district is considering whether ICT can be used to solve local issues.

I believe neighborhood interactions are still more active in the Yoshijima district than in urban areas, but they have decreased compared to the past, and mutual aid among neighbors has also declined. Therefore, what we are currently considering is a matching system for mutual aid that utilizes ICT. Although it currently focuses on the elderly, we are planning a mechanism to match people who need help with minor daily tasks—such as taking out the trash, accompanying them to hospital visits, shopping, and snow shoveling—with those who are willing to help. Compensation for those who help would be provided through local currency or a point system, which can be used when they or their families need assistance. By digitizing these systems, we also hope that people working in urban areas who call the Yoshijima district their hometown will find it easier to participate in local activities. However, research shows that several municipalities are considering similar systems, and many seem to be struggling due to various factors. Traditional mutual aid among neighbors has been built on face-to-face relationships of trust. It is said that "empathy"—expressed through feelings like "that looks tough" or "I've had the same experience"—serves as the primary motivation. To what extent can "empathy" regarding support for the elderly be triggered in an online community where there is no daily interaction? There are likely still points that need to be considered.