World Mental Health Day Illumination Event: Joint Effort Between Lived Experience and Supporters
FPT supports the Silver Ribbon Campaign promoted by the specified non-profit organization Silver Ribbon Japan, which aims to deepen and promote understanding of brain and mind-related disorders (lived experience) and mental health. FPT co-hosted the Tokyo Tower Silver & Green Light-Up Event held on October 10th to coincide with World Mental Health Day 2025. FPT provided its Tokyo headquarters office overlooking Tokyo Tower as the venue, and together with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, many organizations leading mental health awareness in Japan, and people with lived experience, we prayed for the mental health of ourselves, our families, and our colleagues at work.
Additionally, we provided support for live broadcasts of landmark illuminations across Japan, the Kansai Osaka Expo broadcast, and networking events.
Live broadcasts of illuminations took place at six locations: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Tokyo), Hakata Port Tower (Fukuoka Prefecture), Sapporo TV Tower (Hokkaido), Atre Kawasaki (Kanagawa Prefecture), MIRAI TOWER (Aichi Prefecture), and Kansai Osaka Expo (Osaka Prefecture), adding a special touch to the event. The light-up events, promoted by Silver Ribbon Japan and Lundbeck Japan, were held at 32 landmarks across Japan in support of the cause and timed to coincide with October 10th. Employees at FPT’s Daimon Office, Fukuoka Office/Fukuoka Development Center, Sapporo Development Center, and Nagoya Office, where FPT has offices, supported the cause by broadcasting the events, demonstrating the company’s commitment to promoting mental health awareness.
An employee with lived experience handled the live broadcast from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government office. The member who provided commentary was a person living with schizophrenia, having battled this mental disability for 20 years since its onset… grappling with its symptoms, societal prejudice, and his own acceptance of his disability. Although he had experience sharing his recovery story, he had many doubts at the time. However, he readily agreed to assist with the live broadcast as a person with lived experience for this event. This decision holds deep significance: it reflects his progress in accepting his disability and his approach to this event as a “challenge” to society to understand disability. I believe this resolution stemmed from his acceptance by his company and HC colleagues, who recognized him not solely by his disability but also as an employee and as a person.
The World Mental Health Day 2025 Tokyo Tower Illumination Ceremony and Light-Up Event would not have been possible without the support of the disability employment team of the HC (Heart & Capability) Department. Members supported this event in their respective areas of expertise, including setting up and dismantling the event, as well as reception, crowd control, various administrative procedures, catering preparation, screen production, document translation, technical support for live broadcasts, coordination, and news article creation. The HC Department places great importance on the acceptance of individuals with disabilities. At the same time, operating under the principle that a disability is part of a person but not the whole person, we focus on drawing out each member’s strengths and turning them into their work. This is because assigning tasks that they are not good at does not increase efficiency. Having them perform work that they are good at or enjoy, even to a small extent, boosts productivity and is also effective for mental health. This approach enhances individuals’ sense of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy refers to the state of believing in oneself, thinking “I can do this” or “I’m sure it will work out.” There is strong evidence that this energizes the mind and activates the brain. Conversely, the workplace accommodates and adjusts to areas of difficulty, with peers supporting and compensating for one another. The significance of autonomous members engaging in an event is immense. Although physically exhausted, this was an experience that gave me mental strength. Having a role, a place to belong, and companions enables people to become more positive. This is something I believe is common to everyone, regardless of whether they have a disability.
FPT Japan Holdings Corporate Sustainability Promotion (CSP) Department, Disability Employment Officer: Kameda Kazumi