NAGOYA - Born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a rare disorder that makes bones fragile and prone to fractures, Toshiya Kakiuchi built a company with a mission to transform both the physical and emotional barriers faced by people with disabilities.
In January 2018, TV Tokyo’s Gaia no Yoake followed the then-28-year-old president of Mirairo as he worked to expand barrier-free business solutions across Japan.
Eight years later, the company has grown dramatically, with more than 1,200 businesses introducing its accessibility training programs. But the path to growth was far from smooth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for training and consulting work collapsed, pushing the company to the brink of negative net worth. Facing one of the toughest periods since founding the business, Kakiuchi launched a new strategy that would eventually lead Mirairo to a listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market.
Mirairo specializes in accessibility consulting, providing training programs that teach companies how elderly people and those with disabilities experience public spaces and services. The company also advises on barrier-free renovations for facilities ranging from commercial buildings to cemeteries.
During one training session featured in the program, Kakiuchi explained how even the wording used toward wheelchair users can create psychological pressure.
“When people are asked, ‘Can you move by yourself?’ they often feel compelled to answer yes,” he said, emphasizing that accessibility is not only about infrastructure but also about changing attitudes.
The company’s hands-on training programs, which simulate the physical limitations experienced by elderly people, have now been adopted by hundreds of corporations nationwide.
Kakiuchi founded Mirairo in 2010 while studying at Ritsumeikan University. The company name reflects his belief that everyone should be able to “paint the colors of their own future freely.” Of the company’s roughly 50 employees at the time of filming, nine had disabilities.
One project highlighted in the documentary involved redesigning a large cemetery in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture. While inspecting the site, Kakiuchi pointed out multiple hazards for wheelchair users, including drainage grates that could trap wheels and narrow pathways that prevented turning around.
He explained that even if wheelchair users could physically enter a path, many spaces still prevented them from properly facing graves to pray.
The cemetery operator later incorporated Mirairo’s recommendations into a new tree-burial section centered around a large olive tree. Particular attention was paid to corner widths and turning angles to ensure wheelchair accessibility.
When wheelchair users later tested the redesigned site, they were able to navigate the space smoothly, including difficult 45-degree corners that had previously raised concerns.
Kakiuchi’s determination is rooted in personal hardship. Standing at just 106 centimeters tall, he has lived his entire life with the rare disease, which affects only one in every 20,000 to 30,000 people. At age 17, he struggled deeply with his condition and revealed that he attempted suicide three times over the course of several months.
Unable to accept losing the ability to walk, he eventually shifted his focus toward finding what he could still achieve while using a wheelchair.
That decision became a turning point. After intense study, he was accepted into Ritsumeikan University, where he later won multiple business competitions.
In 2013, however, another major surgery left him temporarily in cardiac arrest, forcing him once again to confront the possibility of death.
“Because I’m aware of my own end, I think I can give everything I have every single day,” Kakiuchi said.
He believes that creating a society where elderly people and those with disabilities can go out freely will also create entirely new business opportunities and industries.
“If we can accelerate that future by five, 10, or 20 years, then that is one of Mirairo’s missions,” he said.
Source: テレ東BIZ
