【Bringing Digital Transformation to the Welfare Industry】Takuya Matsumoto's Challenge in Transforming the Industry While Facing Spinal Muscular Atrophy

*Information was verified on February 20, 2026, and some parts have been updated with the latest information.

Takuya Matsumoto, who lives in a wheelchair due to spinal muscular atrophy, is challenging the digital transformation (DX) of the welfare industry. Through a matching service called "Fukuhappi Aichi," he aims to eliminate the information gap between users and service providers, thereby improving the efficiency of the entire industry.

Additionally, he has gained attention on Instagram as a "crowd-puller," continuing to challenge stereotypes about people with disabilities.

Currently, he can move his right thumb and index finger, as well as his left index finger. Although he cannot move other parts of his body, he uses creativity and ingenuity to take on many challenges daily.

This time, we spoke with him about his experiences from childhood to the present and his strong desire to change the welfare industry.

1. Who is Takuya Matsumoto?

1-1. Childhood with Illness

[Interviewer (Writer): Ito / Interviewee: Takuya Matsumoto]

Ito: What kind of child were you during your early years?

Matsumoto: I often played outside or played games with my neighborhood friends. The school was about 50 minutes away, so I had limited opportunities to play with friends, but I played normally until about the first grade of elementary school.

The electric wheelchair I used at the time was adult-sized and quite large, so about four friends would ride along with me on it for walks.

Ito: You mentioned you were aware of your illness from a young age. Do you remember how you felt about it?

Matsumoto: Going to the hospital was just a normal part of life, so I didn't have any special feelings about it. It's like how everyone goes to the hospital when they get injured; it felt the same to me.

As a child, you don't really have the perspective to see your situation objectively. It was all I knew, so I never questioned it.

1-2. Student Life

Ito: How did you live your student life while dealing with your illness?

Matsumoto: I didn't really have the mindset of confronting my illness or disability; I just played with friends and looked for things I could do. I thought about things like how boring school was or how annoying it was to fight with someone, just like any other student.

Ito: I've heard that you didn't feel societal barriers regarding physical disabilities. Why do you think that was?

Matsumoto: I'm the type to feel stressed by things that make life difficult, so I would gather information to make life easier, like checking the accessibility of facilities in advance.

For example, before going out with friends, I would always check if the place was accessible, and if it wasn't, I would suggest an alternative. By preparing in this way, I might have reduced the situations where I felt barriers.

2. The Background of "Fukuhappi Aichi"

2-1. The Inspiration for Starting the Service

Ito: What inspired you to start "Fukuhappi Aichi"?

Matsumoto: The inspiration came from meeting Hayashi, who is next to me. About five years ago, when I started living alone in Tokai City, Hayashi was the helper from the agency I contracted with. We quickly became friends because we were close in age.

Later, when I decided to start my own helper agency, our contract ended, but we remained friends. During that time, Hayashi mentioned he was considering leaving his current job, and as we were thinking about creating something interesting, we came up with the idea for the matching service that became the basis for Fukuhappi.

Initially, it was just a casual conversation, but as we talked, we started to think, "We can actually make this happen."

2-2. Challenges in the Welfare Industry

Ito: Why did you decide to create a matching service?

Matsumoto: A major issue in the welfare industry is the information gap. It's difficult for agencies to find users, and it's also hard for users to find good helpers. Even if you search, you only find directory-level information, and while you can find the agency's location and phone number, you can't get details on availability or specific services.

Moreover, regional coordination is done among care managers and counselors, but it's all offline, so the voices of those who truly need helpers only reach a few companies.

This is a complete mismatch. Even in Aichi Prefecture alone, there are hundreds of agencies, yet users only have a handful of options. Meanwhile, agencies struggle to find users. I thought this situation was absurd.

Considering the current state of the welfare industry, we wanted to create a service where agencies and users could search for each other and visualize recruitment and availability information, so Hayashi and I began developing the matching service.

I also wanted to create a service that everyone would use, so I was fully supportive of this idea.

Ito: Is it true that digital transformation is not progressing well in the welfare industry?

Matsumoto: That's absolutely correct. While there are systems for attendance management, I heard that about one-third of all agencies still handle various processes by hand.

It's hard to believe that handwritten processes still exist in this day and age. Cloud services and digital management, which are standard in general businesses, have yet to fully penetrate the welfare industry.

In the welfare industry, handwritten documents, faxes, and phone calls are still the norm, and even government offices sometimes require document submissions by mail. In an era where you can easily create text with ChatGPT, there are still people writing reports by hand.

It's probably the industry most behind in digitalization among all sectors.

3. Future Prospects for "Fukuhappi Aichi"

Ito: Could you tell us about the future prospects for "Fukuhappi Aichi"?

Matsumoto: With Hokkaido and Tokyo opening in April, our first goal is to have the service utilized nationwide. Beyond that, we aim to make it not just a matching site, but a portal site that everyone involved in welfare can access.

We want to include information like barrier-free maps, home renovation details, and welfare organization information, covering all welfare and medical-related information.

Additionally, we believe a bulletin board feature is crucial. Currently, information that people with disabilities want to know, like life hacks, is confined to small communities or families and isn't widely shared. We want to create a large portal site where such information can be shared.

4. Activities on Instagram

Ito: What led you to start sharing on Instagram?

Matsumoto: To increase the recognition of "Fukuhappi Aichi." However, just promoting the service on social media doesn't go viral. Let's be honest, no one wants to watch a promotional video about a welfare matching service.

So, the logic is that if a severely disabled person appears and it goes viral, people will learn about Fukuhappi.

As I mentioned on "Reiwa no Tora," I dress up as a panda and dye my hair pink to attract attention. Honestly, not everyone will be interested right away, so it's important for people to see me and think, "What's this?"

Ito: Who comes up with the unique ideas for activities like swimming, bowling, and karaoke?

Matsumoto: Hayashi and I come up with them together. The ideas often come to us during our daily lives. I handle the shooting points, structure, and video editing.

When planning, we focus on creating entertaining videos. No one wants to watch videos explaining welfare.

We don't specifically plan for punchlines, but we try to naturally create moments that make people laugh. Ultimately, I think this helps raise awareness about welfare.

Ito: Your followers on social media are steadily increasing as you intended. What are your thoughts on this through your Instagram activities?

Matsumoto: I realized that public perception of people with disabilities hasn't changed much. There's a sense of hesitation, like people are taking one, two, or three steps back.

If you only hear my voice, I'm not much different from any other man my age. I like anime, I like games, and I even joke around. But just because I'm in a wheelchair, it suddenly becomes a situation where people feel they can't say or laugh at certain things.

Even though I'm disabled, inside I'm just a regular guy. I hope people can interact with us more casually.

Ito: Through your posts, what message do you want to convey to your audience?

Matsumoto: I want viewers not to overthink things. I'm not asking for a deeper understanding of people with disabilities or anything formal like that.

If they just find it amusing, that's enough. If they can genuinely laugh, that's all I hope for.

5. The Driving Force and Vision for the Future

5-1. The Driving Force Behind the Activities

Ito: What drives your activities, Matsumoto?

Matsumoto: Both Hayashi and I share the same goal of delivering welfare to everyone, and we're working towards that. I think that's our driving force.

It's more like we're being drawn towards the goal rather than leading it ourselves. My wife, Hayashi, and many others are drawn to this goal and are working hard together.

Interestingly, when I talk about this goal, more and more people resonate with it. During the swimming project on Instagram, a physical therapist helped us, and others assisted with filming. Because everyone is aligned in the same direction, the strength naturally gathers.

5-2. The Ultimate Goal

Ito: Do you have any future goals or visions for what you want to become?

Matsumoto: My ultimate goal is to create a theme park called Jump Land, based on the manga from Shonen Jump.

Dragon Ball and other Jump comics have been the bible of my life.

Of course, spreading Fukuhappi is also a goal, but it's my life, so I want to pursue what I truly want to do until the end.

It's like Luffy saying, "I will become the Pirate King." People might say it's impossible, but I'm seriously aiming for it. That's why I can work hard at my current job and take on various challenges.

5-3. A Message to Those Hesitant to Challenge

Ito: Lastly, could you give a message to those who hesitate to take on challenges?

Matsumoto: I won't send a message to those who hesitate to challenge.

Because, if you truly want to do something, you'll move regardless of any message. I don't think my message would convince anyone, so I hope they find something they genuinely want to challenge themselves with.

6. Conclusion

What was striking during the interview was Matsumoto's attitude of being "natural" while having a "strong will."

Without viewing his illness as something special, he maximizes what he can do and continues to take on new challenges. His approach to continuously sharing with an element of entertainment while aiming for the DX of the welfare industry is inspiring.

His dream of creating "Jump Land" isn't just a fantasy but a clear goal he speaks of, showing his strength in fully enjoying his life.

If there's something you truly want to do, people will naturally take action. This statement seems to reflect the conviction Matsumoto has developed throughout his life.

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Latest book by Takuya Matsumoto: The Revolution at Your Fingertips: How an Entrepreneur with Severe Disabilities is Changing Welfare