Most people in Japan in the 1950s still slept on futons on the floor. Minoru Ikeda, the founder of FRANCE BED, started work on a new bed; still rare in Japan at that time. The first version released was a split-type sofa bed which became well known around Japan as being a sofa by day and a bed by night. In a time when the western lifestyle was adored in Japan, this sofa would fit into small Japanese houses to create a modern atmosphere. It was the perfect example of a rich lifestyle.
History
FRANCE BED Stories
Home Furnishing Business
1956 Started development of a split-type sofa bed at a time when beds were still rare in Japan.
Medical Business
As a Pioneer in Assistive Equipment Rental.
FRANCE BED began its journey in the medical and nursing care field by applying the advanced technologies cultivated through the production of home-use beds and mattresses. In 1983, we became the first company in Japan to offer rental services for assistive equipment.
More than two decades before the introduction of Japan’s long-term care insurance system, we were already committed to rental services, helping to establish the industry standard.
It all began with a single phone call from a customer. After purchasing a medical bed, they reached out to us three months later with a heartfelt concern—their mother had passed away, and the bed was no longer needed. This moment sparked a new idea: a service that allows people to rent equipment only for the period they truly need it.
Corporate History
| FRANCE BED CO.,LTD. | FRANCE BED MEDICAL SERVICE CO.,LTD. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 |
Founder Minoru Ikeda starts Futaba factory to start manufacture of car seats as an independent manufacturer. |
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| 1952 |
Change to FUTABA SEISAKUSHO CO.,LTD. |
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| 1956 |
 Develop and market a split-type sofa bed. Start using FRANCE BED trademark. |
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| 1959 |
Establish Tokyo factory and start operations |
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| 1961 |
Change name to FRANCE BED CO.,LTD. Set up nationwide sales network. |
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| 1963 |
Established at 6-7-13 Minamimachi, Tanashi-shi, Tokyo with initial capital of 50 million yen. Trading name is Japan Sanitary Bed Co., Ltd. Factory and headquarters buildings complete. Started sales of hospital-grade bedding and lease laundry operations. |
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| 1964 |
Dealers establish FRANCE BED Futaba Association network. |
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| 1965 |
Expand buildings and construct large scale boiler room for laundry operations. |
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| 1966 |
Listed on the first sections of the Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka stock exchanges. |
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| 1968 |
Started technical collaboration with English company Multi Rustic Co., Ltd. |
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| 1969 |
Started marketing neo-wood products (dining and kitchen furniture). |
Purchase land for site expansion and construct new factory. |
| 1970 |
Started technical collaboration with English company Slumberland. Started marketing camping cars. |
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| 1971 |
Develop feather duvet for hospital-grade bedding. |
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| 1972 |
Dealers establish FRANCE BED Minoru Association network. |
Started lease and laundry operations for modern and traditional hotels. |
| 1973 |
Dealers establish FRANCE BED Wakaba Association network. |
Started doctor and hospital robe sales, lease and laundry operations. |
| 1975 |
Started technical collaboration with US company Lippert Corporation for the manufacture of man-made marble. Announce residential equipment product line using molded marble. |
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| 1976 |
Started manufacture and sales of down products. |
Increase capital to 85 million yen. Acquire site and building for feather factory in Hidaka-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama. |
| 1977 |
Started production of feather and bedding products. |
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| 1978 |
Purchase 13 heavy duty continuous spin-dryer washing machines from Forsberg Co. in Germany. |
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| 1979 |
Tokyo factory is the first to receive JIS certification. |
Transfer feather product manufacturing to Hidaka factory. |
| 1980 |
Release new line of health products including Tsubohealther, a whole body shiatsu massage mattress. |
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| 1981 |
Overseas exports of Tsubohelther start. |
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| 1983 |
 Establish rental operations at FRANCE BED SALES CO., LTD., and start rental of medical care beds. |
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| 1984 |
Shizuoka Feather Factory established and starts operations; the first feather factory in Asia. |
Install full duvet cleaning equipment and start duvet cleaning service. Transfer feather duvet and bedding manufacturing operations to FRANCE BED CO.,LTD. Establish welfare equipment rental operations headquarters. Roll out operations structures for Tokyo, Osaka, Eastern Japan, Nagoya and Western Japan. |
| 1985 |
 Started sales of our revolutionary mattress series “Hardpro” and system bed series “α-MORNING”. Started technical collaboration with US company Leggett & Platt, Incorporated. |
Establish first medical equipment shop in Shizuoka. |
| 1987 |
Introduce our bed and bedding products into Yumi Katsura bridal product range. |
Merge with FRANCE BED SALES CO., LTD. to create FRANCE BED MEDICAL SERVICE CO., LTD. with initial capital of 138.75 million yen. Started medical equipment rentals. |
| 1988 |
Open FRANCE BED Showrooms in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyushu. Started sales of Floatea waterbeds. Started manufacturing technology collaboration with Slumberland Holdings. |
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| 1989 |
Establish logistics warehouses in Gunma, Shizuoka and Hyogo, as well as at our Saga factory, and construct Hirakata logistics center. |
Establish Saitama delivery center. |
| 1990 |
Establish new central office and logistics warehouse at Tokyo factory. |
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| 1991 |
 Started sales of nursing support bed and independence beds. |
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| 1992 |
 Enter collaboration with German company Femira GmbH. |
 Established new home care renovation operations to improve home care environments. |
| 1993 |
Establish employee dormitory in Tachikawa as a one-stop welfare facility. |
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| 1994 |
Open sleep research center. |
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| 1996 |
Started sales of human care beds. |
Increase capital to 187.5 million yen. |
| 1997 |
Take over and absorb FRANCE BED SHINSOU CO., LTD. |
Establish sleep research center in Nagoya. Started sales of sleep apnea syndrome auto-analyzers 'night watch' to hospitals. Started rental to hospitals of rehabilitation equipment hyper-therapy targeted at the elderly and disabled. |
| 1999 |
President Minoru Ikeda becomes Chairman. Director and Vice President Shigeru Ikeda becomes President. FRANCE BED TRADING CO., LTD. is established. |
 Establish health and welfare plaza Sukesan-Takusan in Hirakata city, Osaka. |
| 2000 |
 Gain ISO9001 certification (Production Head Oce Mie factory). |
 Started rental of nursing and welfare equipment to coincide with the introduction of public long-term care insurance. |
| 2001 |
Three different dealer networks join to form new single network. |
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| 2002 |
Establish PR Studio at Tokyo factory site. |
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| 2003 |
 Nationwide rollout of hotel bed rental operations. Have exhibit at international welfare equipment exhibition. |
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| 2004 | FRANCE BED HOLDINGS CO., LTD. established; FRANCE BED CO.,LTD. delisted. | |
| 2005 |
 DAPS, an electric nursing bed with in-built risk prevention is released. PR Studio Hokkaido is established. PR Studio Kyushu is established. Started sales of world-first 3-wheeled electric powered wheelchair with steering wheel. PR Studio Hyogo is established. PR Studio Gunma is established. 3-wheeled rehabilitation wheelchair Osukaru wins Nikkei Business Daily award. Open Sapporo Showroom. Open Oita and Hakata Showrooms. PR Studio Mie is established. |
 Started rental and sales of welfare equipment for disabled children. Set up second health and welfare plaza Sukesan-Takusan in Mito city. Open online shopping site Fukubukuro Shop. Started healthy food home-delivery service in Tama district of Tokyo. Open health and welfare plaza Nagano Day Service Center. Establish Toyota Day Service Center. |
| 2006 |
PR Studio Shizuoka is established. Started sales of earthquake-resistant TV boards. PR Studio Nasu-Shirakawa is established. Matteograssi Akasaka Showroom is established. Warehouse PR Studio Fukui is established. Giorgio Saporiti Roppongi Showroom is established. FRANCE BED Tokyo and Roppongi Showrooms are established. |
Establish Hirakata Day Service Center and France Lage Hirakata. Establish at-home medical support display room at Japan Red Cross Medical Center. |
| 2007 |
Open Hiroshima Showroom. Open Asahikawa Showroom. Open Takamatsu Showroom. Started sales of premium mattress, THE FRANCE BED. New Shoulder Fit Memory Foam Pillow wins Good Design award. |
Establish health and sleep Medical Shop Roppongi Branch. |
| 2008 |
Open Kobe Showroom. Open Sendai Showroom. New sleep posture gauge deployed to all Showrooms and PR Studios. |
Started FRANCE BED premium bed and furniture rental service. Started overseas shipping of nursing care goods. Establish Sukesan-Takusan Iki-Iki Club in Hirakata. |
| 2009 .4 |
FRANCE BED CO.,LTD. and FRANCE BED MEDICAL SERVICE CO.,LTD. merge. | |
| FRANCEBED CO., LTD. | ||
| 2010 |
AW-90 high-breathability mattress wins the Nikkei Business Daily award. Establish preventative care outpatient facility: Yu Yu Iki Iki Club. Started sales of world famous Slumberland brand. Started sales of environmentally friendly mattress: Recoplus. |
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| 2011 |
Announce Reha tech; a new brand from FRANCE BED to support the elderly in their daily activities. Headquarters location changes. Started sales of Sideway; a self-powered Reha tech wheelchair. Open Life Treatment Studio Shizuoka and Slumberland Studio Shizuoka. |
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| 2012 |
Started sales of new series of Electric bed “Granmax”. Release updated version of New Life Treatment Mattress with Nano Temp Thermo; a new function to measure changes in temperature. |
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| 2013 |
Started sales of JOORYU; the new brand of premium feather duvets with superior quality and safety. Started sales of Floor Bed; an ultra-low electrically powered nursing bed. Released Hikarutsue Light Cane. Released our cool bedding series Cool Deopad Pillowsheet that is cool to the touch and has a deodorizing function. |
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| 2014 |
Started home care sales and rental of the Ultra Low Floor Bed. Started sales of the Breath Air New Shoulder Fit Pillow. Started sales of the Sleep Vantage Pillow for relaxed sleep on your side. Started sales of the Ultra Low Floor Bed FL-1402. |
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| 2015 |
Started sales of the Arm Plus stroller. Started sales of the Cool Deodoket thin quilt futon. Started sales of the Multifunction Lift-Up Chair 01 reclining chair. |
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| 2016 |
Started sales of Korobanaisu a wheelchair with a non-tip new function. Concluded academia-industrial partnership accord for product development with Toyo University. Collaborated with the Hello Kitty franchise to start sales of a Hello Kitty version of our Sleep Vantage FLEUR cushion, which changes shape to accommodate users sleeping on their side. |
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| 2017 |
FRANCE BED mattresses were used in all cabins of the JR East sleeper train, TRAIN SUITE Shiki-shima. Started sales of the interactive baby robot Naki-warai Tartan for use by people suffering from dementia. Started sales of the Powered Turning Bed. Develop PRO-WALL, a new technology. |
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| 2018 |
Released the non-contact bed release sensor “Temperature de Catch” equipped with a “temperature sensor”. |
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| 2019 |
Launched of the Powered Mattress with sleep monitoring function jointly developed with KDDI and NeuroSpace. Started sales and rental of nursing care bed “Multi-Fit Bed MFB-930”. Received the 7th Eldercare Innovation Award 2019 for BEST SOLUTION TO SUPPORT AGEING-IN-PLACE(ASSISTIVE) for “Powered Turning Bed”. Started sales and rental of “Multi-fit Wheelchairs” that can maintain a sitting position. Delivered mattresses and other items to the National Training Center Indoor Training Center East (East Wing) . |
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| 2020 |
Nominated the 8th Eldercare Innovation Award 2020 Finalist for INNOVATION OF THE YEAR (DEMENTIA TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION) for “Koroba-Nice”. Started sales and rental of “Multi-Position Bed”. |
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| 2021 |
“Multi-Position Bed” that supports getting out of bed wins Good Design Award. Received the 9th Eldercare Innovation Award 2021 for INNOVATION OF THE YEAR(PRODUCT) for “Multi-Position Bed”. Mattress with Eco-friendly disassembly system “MORELIY” wins Good Design Award. Six types of mattresses for hotels acquired the Eco Mark certification for the first time in the industry. |
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| 2022 |
New medical business base “Medicarent Tokyo” opened in Kodaira City, Tokyo. Received the Grand Prize of the Eco Mark Award 2022 in recognition of our company's commitment to environmentally friendly product development and welfare equipment rental services. |
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| 2023 |
Received Excellence Award in 2023 ATLife TAIWAN for Long-term Care Rental Aids. Started sales of the Modular Motor Frame Electric Bed “Gransus”. |
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