Rengo Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kita-ku, Osaka; President & CEO: Kiyoshi Otsubo) announces that an indoor gym incorporating radiation shielding sheets developed by the Rengo Group has recently been completed at Hokushin Nursery School, a childcare facility operated by the Hokushin Welfare Association (President: Akihiro Uenishi) in Fukushima Prefecture.

Nihon Matai Co., Ltd., a member of the Rengo Group, has made use of its long years of resin processing technologies to jointly develop a radiation shielding sheet together with Rengo that is light weight, very flexible, and highly functional, yet affordable. After going on sale in May 2012, repeated field tests of various types have been conducted. This product was adopted for a new indoor gym at the nursery school—the first time it has been utilized for a building in Japan that is used in everyday living.

Since the nuclear power plant accident, it has been difficult for people to allow children to play outside as much as they want. The construction of this facility was planned from the earnest desire to provide an environment where children can play with peace of mind. To decrease the amount of radioactivity and provide shielding from outside radiation, the newly developed radiation shielding sheet with a thickness of three centimeters has been installed on the outer walls. In this way, it is possible to drastically decrease the amount of radiation from outside.

This indoor gym will also be opened to the public at large in the hopes of supporting the healthy growth and rearing of children in the region.

The Rengo Group will continue contributing to society through continual innovations, including those in the field of radiation countermeasures, such as radiation shielding sheets and highly weather-resistant container bags used for storing soil after decontamination.