Care hoists support access at Kansai International Airport and Expo 2025 Osaka

English translation of an article originally published in Japanese on June 16, 2025. Read the Japanese original (Japanese). Event dates and availability refer to the original article. Images may contain Japanese text.

We carried out the ‘Sky Diaper Project’ as a side event of O-MU-TSU WORLD EXPO.

In the world, the installation of “Changing Places Toilets (CPT)” equipped with large changing tables and care lifts to allow people who require assistance to change diapers outside the home is being advanced.

When changing a diaper outside, a universal sheet is often necessary, but if a care lift is not available, some people may find it difficult to transfer from a wheelchair to a changing table.

I did not realize that people would need a care facility with a lift until I learned about CPT. However, people who actually require such facilities do exist, and there is a challenge that their need is not sufficiently recognized in society.

Participation in the 2025 Barifree Exhibition

At the Barrier Free 2025 exhibition held in April 2025, we installed a care lift at a temporary diaper changing station. Feedback from people who used the lift reaffirmed the need to make safe diaper changing facilities available outside the home.

Temporary Installation at Kansai International Airport

From June 19 to 30, 2025, at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, a temporary installation of care lifts and beds was set up at Kansai International Airport, one of the world’s gateways. The installation was not in the toilet but created an environment suitable for the change of diapers for individuals who require assistance.

Also installed at the O-MU-TSU WORLD EXPO venue

At the O-MU-TSU WORLD EXPO held at the EXPO HALL “Shainhat” in Osaka, Kansai, Japan, on June 24, 2025, a care lift and bed were prepared in the multi-purpose room within the venue. Connecting the world and Kansai International Airport, as well as the Osaka-Kansai Expo site, this initiative aims to support the movement and social participation of individuals who require assistance through facilities.

The purpose of the “Sky Pants Project” is to consider not only the product itself but also the outings and social participation of those who use diapers, as well as their future lives.

I hope that places equipped with care lifts and large change tables will continue to expand within society as a practical example of this initiative.