For over a century, Jakuets has used cutting-edge research and design to make early childhood as educational and enjoyable as possible. A manufacturer and distributor of early childhood play and education products, the company traces its origins back to 1916, when Tatsuo Tokumoto opened the Samidori Kindergarten – the parent body of the Jakuets Group – in Tsuruga City, in Japan’s central Fukui Prefecture. After devising and building the kindergarten’s teaching tools and materials, Tokumoto expanded into the manufacture and sale of early childhood education products, becoming the first CEO of Jakuets.
‘The future is in play’
For young children, play is much more than just fun and games. As well as encouraging communication, creativity and problem solving, it is essential to their social, psychological and even neurological development. Recent scientific research has shown that a child’s brain activates its mirror neuron system to mimic the actions and behaviors of others during play. This mirroring is fundamental to the development of empathy and the ability to establish lasting relationships in both children and adults. Without play in early childhood, the social bonds that hold families, friends and entire societies together would simply not exist.
Inspired by this research, Jakuets’ mission is to encourage the development of empathy and cooperation in young children by designing and manufacturing safe, high-quality play environments. Its products include toys and playground equipment as well as teaching materials, furniture, uniforms and tableware. The company firmly believes that the value of its products is realized not just immediately, as children use them to play and learn, but for many years to come, as those children become cooperative and compassionate members of society. This belief is encapsulated in Jakuets’ slogan: ‘The future is in play’.
Combining design and research expertise
To achieve this aim, Jakuets not only designs and manufactures its play environments, but runs a research institute, the Play Design Lab, to explore the educational possibilities of play. The Play Design Lab combines in-house knowledge of child safety and play with external expertise in education, design, architecture and art, and its findings are incorporated into the company’s designs and manufacturing. This combined approach is represented in Jakuets’ ‘two loops’ model of product research and design.
The company’s customers include nurseries, kindergartens and city authorities, which purchase Jakuets products for their playgrounds. In addition, the company is often asked to take a more active role in the creation of these play environments. Applying the latest developmental psychology and infant physical education theories, as well as expertise in urban development, Jakuets designs spaces that encourage active, social play while matching the characteristics and culture of the surrounding area – be it a kindergarten playground or an inner-city park. The company also provides consulting services for the design of food and housing facilities, ensuring that they support children’s health and development.
A design-centered IP strategy
The scope of Jakuets’ work is reflected in the breadth of its intellectual property (IP) portfolio. In total, the company has filed 23 patent applications, of which 8 are still registered. These include patents for inventions that reduce static electricity and friction on slides, make climbing surfaces easier to grip, and others that focus on children’s behavior and safety, while early childhood play products generally incorporate well-established technologies, meaning that there is limited scope for the company to patent its products.
Partly because of this, the bulk of the company’s IP relates to the design and functionality of its products. Jakuets has applied for 40 industrial designs, of which 15 are still registered. Japanese design rights last for up to 25 years from filing, meaning that the company’s earlier designs are no longer protected. Jakuets compensates for this with a steady stream of new applications.
The focus on design in the company’s IP strategy not only reflects the greater potential for registering industrial designs over patents, but the fulfils two important aims of its IP strategy. First, by protecting the sophisticated and distinctive designs of its products – the fruits of its unique Play Design Lab – Jakuets distinguishes itself from its competitors. This raises brand awareness and product value. Second, by strategically acquiring industrial designs and partial designs, Jakuets can prevent the production and sale of counterfeit products.
In recognition of its use of IP rights, Jakuets was one of the winners of the 2021 Intellectual Property Achievement Award, part of Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Awards.
Addressing the challenge of Japan’s declining birthrate
Challenges remain for the company, including Japan’s shifting demographics. A declining birthrate and aging population mean that the number of children in the country is shrinking. This is offset to some degree by the growing proportion of parents who send their children to nursery schools. Nevertheless, the number of children enrolled in nursery schools in Japan is decreasing, posing a potentially serious problem for companies like Jakuets.
In response, Jakuets focuses its efforts on the sophisticated designs and functionalities of its products to realize high added value. In Japan, the cost of pre-school accounts for almost half of parenting expenses for children aged 1–6 years old, when they are able to attend a nursery school. Naturally, parents want to see the benefits of spending this money, and there is a growing expectation that pre-school providers – especially private nursery schools, which constitute a significant portion of Jakuets’ customer base – provide parents and children with high-end services.
By protecting and promoting its design-centered brand, Jakuets has been able to meet this growing demand for high-quality play environments. This has allowed the company to maintain steady business performance in recent years, despite Japan’s population changes and unexpected challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.
IP licensing and future expansion
Looking to the future, the company hopes to bolster its performance by establishing an overseas presence. At the time of writing, Jakuets’ business is mainly developed in Japan, but there is a strong desire within the company to use IP licensing to sells its products and services in other countries. To establish and promote its brand abroad, Jakuets is considering developing a distinctly Japanese package of early childhood education methods and teaching materials, including both software and physical products, to sell overseas.
International expansion will bring new challenges, including becoming familiar with IP licensing, and taking appropriate measures to prevent counterfeit products outside of Japan. But experience has taught Jakuets that a robust, ambitious IP strategy will help the company overcome obstacles and continue to grow its business.
