Better Place Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Shinji Morimoto; https://bpcom.jp/; hereinafter "Better Place"), which supports the introduction and design of corporate pension and retirement benefit systems centered on the "Hagukumi Corporate Pension Fund," announces a business partnership with Tsuji-Hongo Insurance Co., Ltd. (headquartered in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Koyo Hongo; hereinafter "Tsuji-Hongo Insurance") to support companies facing challenges in employee retention. Through this partnership with Tsuji-Hongo Insurance—the dedicated insurance arm of Tsuji-Hongo Group, one of Japan’s largest accounting firm networks—Better Place will further accelerate the promotion of the "Hagukumi Corporate Pension Fund" to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) suffering from severe labor shortages. ■ Purpose and Background of the Partnership Labor shortages in SMEs have become a serious challenge, making talent acquisition and retention urgent priorities for businesses. At the same time, employees are increasingly concerned about financial security amid rising living costs, leading to growing demand for asset formation and wage increases. As a result, companies are expected to enhance employee benefits as part of their overall business strategy. Better Place believes that collaboration with accounting firms—key strategic partners for business owners—is essential to addressing these challenges. To date, the company has established partnerships with over 400 accounting firms and tax offices. Meanwhile, Tsuji-Hongo Insurance, as the specialized insurance arm of one of Japan’s largest accounting firm networks, leverages its advisory network of over 17,000 client companies to provide insurance and financial planning (FP) services. In recent years, the company has seen increasing inquiries from its clients regarding the establishment of retirement and employee benefit systems, driven by worsening labor shortages and hirin