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OUR TEXTBOOKS
Turning our insights into textbooks you can use in practice.
Drawing on the knowledge gained from research and business development in the senior and end-of-life planning field, we develop and publish professional training textbooks. Combining diagrams and commentary, they let you learn every theme from later life through to after death, from care and medicine to housing, money, inheritance and funerals, in one consistent flow. Please note that our textbooks, including the free volume, are written in Japanese; the one exception is our English edition, introduced in SERIES 03 below.
POINT 01
Up to date
Based on laws, statistics and published data as of October 2026, they also explain upcoming amendments and issues under discussion where possible.
POINT 02
From the whole to the details
Learn step by step, from the big picture of the industry to the market and core businesses, the basics of each service, and placement consulting in practice.
POINT 03
Diagrams and commentary
Each page pairs diagrams with commentary, designed so you can understand the content as you read, even without an instructor.
POINT 04
Business and practice
See how the analysis of business models and revenue structures connects with front-line practice such as consultations and interviews.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Part 1 of our training textbook,
now free to read.
Senior End-of-Life Planning Business: Comprehensive Training Textbook
Annotated Edition, Vol. 1
“The Big Picture of Japan’s Older Population and End-of-Life Planning”
2026 edition (laws and statistics as of October 2026) / PDF, 25 pages, in Japanese
Part 1 of our paid training textbook series (10 volumes) is completely free to read. It gives you the big picture that every end-of-life planning business starts from, with the latest data and clear diagrams.
Where Japan’s older population stands today, in key data (as of October 2026)
Life events in later life and customer profiles
Five customer journeys (case examples)
How active seniors live: work, health and leisure
Japanese only. For English readers: our English edition is on Gumroad →
※ Copyright in this material belongs to Next Co., Ltd. Please do not copy, republish, modify, redistribute or sell it without permission.
SERIES 01
Senior End-of-Life Planning Business: Comprehensive Training Textbook (Annotated Edition)
2026 edition (laws and statistics as of October 2026) / 10 volumes, in Japanese
A comprehensive textbook that systematically covers the big picture of Japan’s older population and end-of-life planning; the market and its core businesses; the people, products, services, money and credentials that make up the market; the basics of each end-of-life planning service; and care facility placement consulting in practice. It is split into 10 volumes by theme, so you can start with the topics you need. Reading in English? See our English edition in SERIES 03 below.
▶ Buy on note (Japanese edition; prices include tax; PDF)
VOL.1
The big picture of Japan’s older population and end-of-life planning Part 1
Key data, life events, customer journeys and active seniors
VOL.6
Basics of funerals, graves, Buddhist altars and farewell gatherings Part 4
Funeral process and costs, memorial services and interment, types of graves and grave closures, Buddhist altars
VOL.2
Structure of the end-of-life planning market and business opportunities Part 2
Market size, the welfare industry landscape, medical care and hospital stays, end-of-life needs and entry businesses
VOL.7
Basics of inheritance, wills and adult guardianship Part 4
Heirs and shares, wills, inheritance tax, adult guardianship, trusts and posthumous affairs contracts
VOL.3
Business models in the care field Part 2
Facility placement, care manager training, care renovations, tradesperson referrals, community partnerships
VOL.8
Basics of housing, money and estate clearance Part 4
Selling real estate and vacant homes, insurance and financial planning, estate clearance, digital estates
VOL.4
Business models for estate clearance and inherited real estate Part 2
Revenue structures and market size of estate clearance and decluttering, inherited real estate and vacant homes
VOL.9
Basics of long-term care insurance, senior facilities and medical care Part 5
How long-term care insurance works, facility types and costs, medical procedures, major illnesses, end-of-life care
VOL.5
The people, products, services, money and credentials that make up the market Part 3
A cross-cutting look at providers, products and services, money flows, credentials and laws
VOL.10
Care facility placement consulting in practice, with case studies Part 5
Consultation process and interviews, case studies, appendices
Recommended for
People working in businesses related to end-of-life planning, and consultants
Companies considering new businesses or alliances for older people
People approaching the senior market from adjacent fields such as care, medicine, real estate, finance and funerals
Anyone who wants the big picture to prepare for their own or their family’s future
SERIES 02
Training Textbook for Care Facility Placement Consultants
2026 edition (laws and statistics as of October 2026) / 4 volumes (Basics, Practice, Advanced, Exercises & Tools), in Japanese
Moving into a care facility is a major decision for older people and their families: choosing a new place to live. A placement consultant is a professional who provides, from a neutral position, the information and options needed for that decision, and supports them from visits to move-in and beyond.
In 2026 an amended law was passed introducing registration for paid nursing homes and certification for placement agencies, and placement services are now expected to offer more transparency and quality than ever. This professional training textbook systematically covers everything from how placement businesses work to consulting practice, the care system, housing, the basics of medicine and illness, end-of-life care and case studies. For English readers, Vol. 3 of our English edition (SERIES 03 below) covers care facility placement consulting in practice.
Volume 1 Chapters 1–3
Basics
Understanding placement services
The consultant’s role and communication
Interviews and proposals
Learning goal
Explain your role, take consultations, organize conditions and propose candidates
Approx. 6 hours
Volume 2 Chapters 4–6
Practice
Visits, contracts and follow-up after move-in
Long-term care insurance and health insurance
Senior housing and costs
Learning goal
Explain the system and costs, and support clients from visits to contract
Approx. 6 hours
Volume 3 Chapters 7–10
Advanced
Basics of the body and medical procedures
Major illnesses and the path to move-in
Hospitals and discharge support
End-of-life and palliative care
Learning goal
Judge from medical information which housing can accept a person, and when
Approx. 6 hours
Volume 4 Chapters 11–12
Exercises & Tools
Case studies (12 cases)
Forms such as hearing sheets
Glossary, referral contacts and review tests
Learning goal
Interpret consultations and set a course of action
Approx. 3 hours
※ Studying this together with Vol. 9 and Vol. 10 of the comprehensive training textbook (10 volumes) deepens your understanding of the system, medical knowledge and consulting practice.
▶ Buy on note (Japanese edition; prices include tax; PDF)
SERIES 03
English Edition
Senior End-of-Life Planning Textbook
The English edition of our comprehensive training textbook, The Senior End-of-Life Planning Business Comprehensive Training Textbook (Annotated Edition, 2026). It gives English-speaking businesses and researchers a clear view of Japan's senior market and the end-of-life planning business as a whole.
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Vol.1: The Market and Its Businesses
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Vol.2: Essentials of End-of-Life Planning Services
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Vol.3: Care Facility Placement Consulting in Practice
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Complete Edition
FOR OVERSEAS COMPANIES
Japan’s senior end-of-life planning market, explained in English
Japan is one of the most aged societies in the world. As of September 2026, 36.24 million people—29.6% of the population—are aged 65 or over, and about 1.6 million people die each year. Around this “high-mortality society,” a broad market has formed for end-of-life planning (shūkatsu): long-term care and senior housing, inheritance and real estate, funerals and graves, estate cleanouts and more—where public insurance programs and private services intersect in complex ways.
This English edition gives overseas companies a structured, data-backed view of how the market works, from the big picture down to day-to-day practice. Every page pairs a figure with explanatory commentary, and the content reflects laws, programs and statistics as of October 2026.
WHAT’S INSIDE
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Vol.1: The Market and Its Businesses (92 pages)
Japan’s older population in numbers, life events and customer journeys, market size and the structure of the elder-care industry, the hospital admission–discharge pathway, and the business models of core businesses such as care facility placement, estate cleanouts and inherited real estate. -
Vol.2: Essentials of End-of-Life Planning Services (56 pages)
Practical knowledge across 11 service areas, including funerals, inheritance, graves, real estate, insurance, estate cleanouts, digital estates, and resale and buyback. -
Vol.3: Care Facility Placement Consulting in Practice (40 pages)
The placement consultant’s workflow, long-term care insurance and the types of senior housing and care facilities, medical basics, and case studies. -
Complete Edition
All three volumes in a single PDF.
WHO IT’S FOR
Companies exploring market entry, partnerships or M&A in Japan’s senior care and end-of-life services
Investors, consulting and research firms conducting market studies or due diligence
Senior living, insurance, healthcare and fintech businesses benchmarking Japan’s model
WHY THIS TEXTBOOK
Up to date — reflects programs and statistics as of October 2026, including scheduled amendments
Easy to digest — each page pairs a figure with clear commentary
Traceable — every figure is labeled with its reference date
Practitioner-written — by Next Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based company supporting business development in Japan’s senior sector
Pricing and purchase — Buy the PDF instantly on Gumroad: Complete Edition US$558 · Vol. 1 US$298 · Vol. 2 US$198 · Vol. 3 US$158. Sample pages are on each product page. For team licenses or other questions, contact us in English: joe@next-corporation.info
Also available on note (prices in JPY, tax included):
INQUIRY
Purchasing textbooks & training inquiries
For purchasing or using our training textbooks, or for training and study sessions for companies and organizations, please contact us through our contact form.
※ Our training textbooks are paid materials. Please do not copy, republish or distribute their content without permission.