Lent by Minato City free of charge to children who wish to attend municipal elementary schools for the further safety of children.
- The following is content from the press release -
(Headquarters: Osaka, Japan; President: Hidekuni Kuroda) is working to support family monitoring, communication, and habit formation through its "Hello! Family. Family." series, a family monitoring IoT brand that supports next-generation family communication tailored to diverse work styles and lifestyles. Family." has been adopted by Minato Ward, Tokyo, as part of the "Free Loan of GPS-equipped Monitoring Terminal" project, and "Harokoko Talk" GPS terminals with voice messaging functionality will be provided sequentially to ward elementary schools starting in September 2025.
Background to this initiative
On January 31, 2025, Port City Mayor Ai Seike announced the "Free Loan of GPS Devices" as one of the budget proposals for FY2025. In response, Kokuyo's "Hello! Family." IoT brand for family monitoring was selected through a bidding process, and the "Harokoko Talk" GPS terminal with voice messaging function was selected as the target model, and operation and maintenance services were commissioned. Family." will support the safety of children at ward elementary schools when they go to and from school and other places.
2. Outline of Commissioned Business
Minato City has taken various measures to ensure the safety of children on their way to and from school, including the distribution of information on suspicious persons, the free lending of portable crime-prevention buzzers, and guidance on the way to and from school. Now, as a further safety measure, we will start lending free of charge a monitoring terminal with a GPS function that allows guardians to check the whereabouts of their children. All expenses for the terminal, communication, and maintenance will be covered by Minato City. However, in the case of intentional loss or damage, parents or guardians will be charged on a case-by-case basis.
Project name: Crime prevention awareness and emergency information distribution project (*1)
- GPS monitoring terminals will be loaned free of charge to children in grades 1 through 6 who wish to use them. (Lending will begin sequentially from September 2025 onward.)
- Parents can check the location of their children and the arrival and departure of registered locations at any time, ensuring the peace of mind of parents and the safety of their children.
If you are a parent or guardian of a child attending a Minato Ward elementary school, please contact us at the following address for inquiries regarding the loan of watchdog terminals.
Dedicated WEB sitehttps://kokuyo.jp/hellofamily/minatoku_web
Dedicated Inquiry Formhttps://kokuyo.jp/hellofamily/minatoku_form
Dedicated phone 050-3109-5226
（Hours: Weekdays 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (except Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, year-end and New Year holidays, and summer vacation periods)
3. "Harokoko Talk
(1) Product Overview
Launched in July 2025, Harokoko Talk is a GPS terminal with voice messaging functionality that keeps an eye on the location and travel routes of children. By downloading the dedicated application on the parent's smartphone and linking it to the GPS device, the parent can check the child's location and travel route on the application's map and send and receive voice messages between the GPS device and smartphone.
In addition, the dedicated application has a function that updates the location information of the GPS device at any time and notifies the user when the GPS device leaves the pre-defined range of activity. By having children carry their GPS devices not only to and from school, but also to their lessons and outdoor play, parents can safely watch over their children even when they are away from home.
<Main Features
"Hanasu" Record and send a message to the parent's smartphone (dedicated app)
Kiku" Replays messages received from parents.
Inform" Transmits information about the current location
The above major functions are arranged in three distinctive buttons for ease of use by children.
Harokoko Talk Product site:https://hellofamily.kokuyo.co.jp/view/page/hellococotalk
(2) Development episodes
Harokoko Talk" was developed through the manufacturing concepts and processes of KOKUYO's inclusive design initiative "HOWS DESIGN" (*2). The product was designed based on advice received from staff and parents after using it as a verification test for students who are lead users of child development support and after-school daycare services.
Details:https://www.kokuyo.co.jp/sustainability/howsdesign/torikumi_0027.html
ReferenceAbout Kokuyo "Hello!
Hello! Family. is an IoT service for families that watches over families and increases opportunities for daily communication by linking apps and devices. Family. is an IoT service for family members that allows them to feel the presence of their family close at hand, and to check information they want to know at any time. It delivers peace of mind. Depending on your family's lifestyle and the growth of your children, it can be used in a variety of ways, including as a daily habit, to check on their whereabouts, or as a simple means of communication before the introduction of smartphones.
The official website of "Hello!https://hellofamily.kokuyo.co.jp
Family." products can be purchased at the official "Hello!
supplement
(*1) Source: Minato-ku FY2025 Budget Press Release (January 31, 2025) Document 10
https://www.city.minato.tokyo.jp/documents/157238/013110.pdf
(*2) What is "HOWS DESIGN"?
HOWS DESIGN" is KOKUYO's vision for manufacturing. In order to create a society where everyone can coexist in their own way as a matter of course, we define and promote inclusive design as "discovering and solving new issues through empathy and co-creation with people with disabilities and other social barriers from upstream processes.
https://www.kokuyo.co.jp/sustainability/howsdesign
The information contained herein is current as of the date of publication. The information is subject to change without notice. Please note that the information is subject to change without notice.
All company, service and product names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
