V cube : Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, and Wemex Corporation Launch Demonstration Project for Online Medical Care at Community Centers

News Release

To the press

October 24, 2023 V-cube, Inc.

V-cube, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, and Wemex Corporation Launch Demonstration Project for Online Medical Care at Community Centers

～Contributing to improving access to medical care in remote areas, etc.～

V-cube, Inc. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Masaya Takada, hereinafter "V- cube") is pleased to announce that it will begin a demonstration project for online medical care on November 7, 2023, with Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture (Mayer: Sakae Hirose, hereinafter "Yabu City") and Wemex Corporation (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President: Takayuki

Otsuka ,hereinafter "Wemex"), a subsidiary of PHC Holdings Corporation (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo). "TELECUBE" (*1) equipped with "Doctor Cart" (*2), a real-time telemedicine system, has been installed at "Akenobe Rest House", a community center in Yabu City.

This demonstration project is an initiative aimed at providing sustainable community health care in remote areas in response to the May 18, 2023, notice from the Health Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, " Establishment of Clinics for Online Medical Care in Remote Areas without a Physician on a Special Exception Basis" (*3). This notice enables the establishment of clinics without a resident doctor at local community centers and other facilities. V-cube, Yabu City, and Wemex will contribute to improving access to medical care in remote areas through this demonstration project.

*"Akenobe Rest Home" providing online medical care as a demonstration project (Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture)

In mountainous areas with declining birthrates and an aging population, such as Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, where this demonstration project is being conducted, there is a shortage of doctors due to the uneven distribution of doctors in the region and the need to improve access to medical care for the elderly. Although Yabu City maintains a public transportation system that can be used for

hospital visits, the number of people who voluntarily return their driver's licenses is increasing, along with the limited number of bus routes. In Yabu City, supportive measures are in place, such as the transportation of private cars, but the nearest clinic is more than 15 minutes away by car, and there is concern that the elderly, who have limited transportation, may face a high hurdle in making visits to the clinic and may not be able to receive medical care at an appropriate frequency. Although visiting physicians are available, the number of physicians available is limited, making it difficult to provide appropriate medical care to all patients.

As a measure to provide medical care in remote areas where medical resources are limited and patients do not have adequate access to medical care, on May 18, 2023, the Health Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare issued a notice entitled "Establishment of Clinics for Online Medical Care in Remote Areas without a Physician on a Special Exception Basis", allowing the establishment of clinics without a physician resident in community centers, etc. as a special exception, limited to remote areas where improving access to medical care for patients is a problem.

In response to this notice, a clinic for online medical services without a doctor on site will be established at "Akenobe Rest Home" in the Akenobe district of Yabu City. Since "Akenobe Rest Home" is not a facility for the purpose of medical care, the medical treatment will be conducted in consideration of patient privacy by installing Wemex's real-time telemedicine system "Doctor Cart" in the soundproof private room booth "TELECUBE" provided by V-cube. By conducting this demonstration project, we aim to contribute to regional medical care that suits the needs of both patients and doctors, such as improving access to medical care for local residents, preventing serious illnesses so that local residents can live healthily where they want to live, and reducing the burden of doctors' travel and improving the efficiency of medical care. We will work with Yabu City to verify the operational system and the facilities and equipment necessary for medical treatment.

*"TELECUBE," a soundproof private booth, and "Doctor Cart," a telemedicine system, installed at "Akenobe Rest House.

*In practice, a white board will be placed around the "TELECUBE" to provide online medical care in a manner that takes the patient's privacy into consideration.

【Outline of the Demonstration Project】

Period: November 7, 2023 - March 31, 2024

Place: Akenobe Rest House (1082-1 Akenobu, Oya-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo 667-0436)

Target: 9 residents of Akenobu area, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture

Potential scenario: Online medical consultation at a clinic without a doctor on site

validation items:

• The usefulness of this demonstration project for patients and healthcare professionals
• Operational issues and needs in online medical practice using "Doctor Cart"
• Verification of facilities and equipment, such as "TELECUBE", necessary for conducting online medical treatment in public places with consideration for patient privacy

In addition, an explanatory meeting was held on October 13, 2023 for patients receiving online medical care, which was conducted prior to the demonstration project. Patients were reassured that they could hear the doctor's voice clearly and have a conversation because they could hear the sound clearly through the high-performance speakers of the "Doctor Cart" installed in the "TELECUBE". One of the participants expressed their expectations for the project, saying, "I am very happy because it is hard to go to the clinic when it snows." Dr. Ken Kato of the Yabu City National Health Insurance Oya Clinic, who is in charge of online medical care in this demonstration project, said, "We expect that the burden of visiting the clinic will be reduced and patients' convenience will be improved".

Yabu City Mayor Sakae Hirose added, "There are many areas in Japan like Yabu City where residents are aging and access to clinics is inconvenient. We hope that this demonstration project will be a meaningful initiative as a means of delivering medical care to residents in areas where medical resources are limited, and the population is aging."

V-cube, Yabu City and Wemex, will work together with medical institutions to discuss specific operational methods for the actual use of "online medical consultation at clinics without a resident doctor" in remote areas of Japan.

*1https://www.phchd.com/jp/bx/telehealth/services/doctorcart

https://www.phchd.com/jp/bx/telehealth

*2https://jp.vcube.com/telecube

*3 "Establishment of Clinics for Online Medical Care in Remote Areas without a Physician on a Special Exception Basis" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/12601000/001103168.pdf

【What is V-cube?https://jp.vcube.com/】

V-cube's mission is to "Provide Even Opportunity to everybody". By creating an environment where people can communicate "anytime" and "anywhere", V-cube is working to eliminate the diverse inequalities that arise from time-anddistance-constraints. Through visual communication, we aim to reduce the time and distance between people and interact, resolve social issues such as a declining birthrate, an aging society, long working hours, education and medical disparities, and realize a society in which all people can equally earn opportunities.

• For media inquiries : V-cube, Inc. Public Relations Office (in PRAP Japan, Inc.) E-mail:[e-mail]

Yabu City was formed on April 1, 2004 through the merger of four towns in Yabu County, Hyogo Prefecture: Yoka, Yabu, Oya, and Sekinomiya. With a population of 22,129 and 8,388 households (according to the 2020 census), the city is located in the center of the Tajima region in northern Hyogo Prefecture, covering an area of 422.91 square kilometers, 5.0% of Hyogo Prefecture and 19.8% of the Tajima region.

The Maruyama River, a first-class river, flows from southeast to northeast in the eastern part of the city, and the Yoka and Sekinomiya areas are located along the Yagi River, a tributary of the Maruyama River, while the Yabu City and Oya areas are located along the Oya River. Hyonosen, the highest mountain in the prefecture, Mount Hachibuse, Hachi Plateau, and Wakasugi Plateau are located in the western part of the city, while Mount Myoken rises in the northern part of the city. https://www.city.yabu.hyogo.jp/

Address: 1675 Yoka, Yoka-cho, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture

Name of Representative: Sakae Hirose, Mayor of Yabu City

Health and Medical Care Section, Health and Welfare Department, Yabu City Hall Phone: [phone]

E-mail:[e-mail]

Wemex Corporation is an operating subsidiary in Japan of PHC Holdings Corporation (Securities Code 6523: TSE Prime), a global healthcare company. The company was launched in April 2023 as a new structure to provide one-stop services from planning and development to sales. It provides medical computers and electronic medical record systems under the "MEDICOM" brand, support for pharmacy management and specific health guidance, and telemedicine systems. In October 2023, the company also acquired an electronic medical record and receipt-related business from FUJIFILM Healthcare Systems Corporation. Through healthcare IT products and services that promote "medical DX" in Japan, the company is working to improve medical services for patients and increase operational efficiency for healthcare professionals.

https://www.wemex.com/

Location: NBF Shibuya Garden Front 14F, 3-25-18 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Representative ：Takayuki Otsuka, President

＜About PHC Holdings Corporation (PHC Group)>

PHC Holdings Corporation (Securities Code 6523: TSE Prime) is a global healthcare company whose management philosophy is to create new value for all people who desire good health and contribute to the creation of a prosperous society. Its subsidiaries include PHC Corporation, Ascencia Diabetes Care Holdings, Epredia Holdings, LSI Medience Corporation, and Wemex Corporation. The company develops, manufactures, markets, and services in the business areas of diabetes management, healthcare solutions, and diagnostics and life sciences. In fiscal year 2022, the group's consolidated sales revenue was 356.4 billion yen, and its products and services are used by customers in more than 125 countries and regions around the world. PHC Group is the collective name for PHC Holdings Corporation and its operating subsidiaries.

https://www.phchd.com/jp

Contact for customer Wemex Corporation

Telemedicine Solutions Department, Digital Health Division Email: [e-mail]

Contact for the press

PHC Holdings Corporation

IR & Public Relations Department

Tel: [phone]E-mail:[e-mail]