Chugai’s Ongoing Support Expands at Apple Park, a “Third Place for Children”

Through its social contribution activities, Chugai Pharmaceutical works to promote the physical and mental well-being of individuals and to help build a healthy society that supports them. To carry these benefits into the future, Chugai focuses primarily on three areas—healthcare, society, and nurturing the next generation*¹. As part of its efforts to nurture the next generation, Chugai supported Apple Park*², the first “Third Place for Children” in Nasu District, which opened in Nasu Town, Tochigi Prefecture, in 2024 with funding provided through a donation to The Nippon Foundation’s “Third Place for Children Fund.” Our support is intended to go beyond opening the facility. By giving children opportunities to meet a diverse range of people, connect with society, and discover their own potential, we aim to support their continued growth.

As the first phase of support, the “Dialogue in Silence Showcase”*³ held in December 2025 invited participants to wear sound-blocking headsets and experience communication through facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact under the guidance of deaf or hard-of-hearing facilitators. In a world without sound, looking into another person’s eyes, reading facial expressions, and conveying one’s thoughts with the whole body become vital cues for dialogue. The children experienced firsthand that feelings can be communicated without relying on the voice or spoken language. Carefully observing one another and finding creative ways to communicate not only deepened their understanding of diversity but also gave them greater confidence in expressing themselves.

For the second phase of support, Chugai Pharmaceutical Group employees and the Wellnet Club, the Group’s mutual-aid association, jointly operated a booth at the Apple Park Summer Festival in late August 2026. The booth featured a bazaar offering stationery, toys, and pre-owned clothing donated by employees. Dialogue in Silence facilitators who are deaf or hard of hearing also took part, communicating attentively with each child through sign language and gestures while coordinating outfits suited to each individual. By trying colors and combinations they would not normally choose, the children experienced moments that prompted change:

“Hearts can connect even without voices or words,” “Meeting a new version of myself in the mirror,” and “A moment to like myself a little more.”

Chugai Pharmaceutical will continue to work with partner organizations, government authorities, and local communities to support the creation of environments in which children can grow up healthy in both body and mind.

(References)
1. Chugai Pharmaceutical’s Three Priority Areas for Social Contribution
2. Opening Ceremony Held for Apple Park, Nasu District’s First “Third Place for Children”!
3. Dialogue Japan Society