Japan's First Upgradeable Cochlear Implant System Addresses Super-Ageing Society's Hearing Health Needs

Japan's First Upgradeable Cochlear Implant System Addresses Super-Ageing Society's Hearing Health Needs

• Cochlear’s new smart hearing implant system features upgradeable firmware^± giving patients access to new features and advancements over time, helping address the evolving hearing health needs of Japan's aging population.
• Cochlear has been active in Japan for more than three decades, proudly helping more than 10,000 people in Japan to hear with one of our devices.

Tokyo, Japan, 29 June 2026: Cochlear (Main Branch: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; General Manager: Shigehiro Kaminaka), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, today brought together hearing health and technology leaders to introduce a new generation of smart cochlear implant^± technology designed to help address Japan’s growing hearing health needs.

Japan’s growing hearing health challenge

Hearing loss is a widespread yet often under-addressed health issue in Japan, affecting approximately 11% of the population.¹ Despite this, many people do not seek medical advice, and adoption of hearing implant technology remains significantly lower than in the United States and Europe.² The World Health Organization predicts that one in four people worldwide will be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050, making early intervention increasingly important for maintaining quality of life, communication, and social connection.³

"In Japan, hearing loss is a growing health problem, particularly with our super-ageing society," explains Dr. Shujiro Minami, National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center. "The World Health Organization advises that people should be taking their hearing health seriously, starting with a simple hearing check with a hearing health professional."

A new generation of hearing technology

Unlike hearing aids, which increase the volume of sound, cochlear implants work by bypassing the damaged part of the ear and directly stimulating the hearing nerve.^4-5 This approach helps provide clearer sound for cochlear implant candidates, supporting communication in everyday situations.^¥

The newly approved smart cochlear implant system offers Japan's first hearing implant solution with upgradeable implant firmware.^± Traditional cochlear implants can only access future innovation by upgrading the external sound processor. People with a smart cochlear implant system will be able to experience new features and advancements through both updates to the firmware in their smart implant and upgrades to their sound processor over time.

The system is powered by a new chipset, representing the first update to an internal chipset in nearly 20 years. This new chipset utilizes advanced processing capabilities, upgradeable firmware, and onboard memory to enable features that traditional Cochlear implants are unable to provide.

"This is Cochlear's first cochlear implant system with its own firmware, meaning users can access new features and innovations over time," explains Jan Janssen, Chief Technology Officer at Cochlear. "Similar to how a smartphone receives a firmware update to add new capabilities, people with a smart cochlear implant can stay connected to technology updates."

To make hearing easier, the smart hearing implant system is designed to respond to changing needs throughout each day.^6-10 It can learn about its user’s listening needs and the environment they are in and then automatically adjust listening or power management settings to help people hear more clearly.^6-10

Exploring AI To Advance Hearing Solutions For People Living With Hearing Loss

Looking beyond today's launch, Cochlear is committed to meaningful innovation that places patient outcomes first, with AI serving as one important component of a comprehensive approach to improving hearing outcomes. Collaborating with the Australian Hearing Hub and Google, Cochlear is exploring the development of tools that predict listening intent and deliver automated sound adjustments.

Professor Simon Carlile, Senior Research Scientist at Google, presented at the media education event: "Hearing technology helps people around the world connect with people and their surroundings, but there are many more people who could benefit. As part of Google's Digital Future Initiative, we are collaborating with Cochlear to explore how computational modelling of the inner ear and machine learning can be used to fine-tune coding strategies to better meet needs of the individual listener particularly when listening in noisy environments."

Addressing the awareness gap in Japan

Despite the significant number of people affected by hearing loss, many eligible individuals are not aware of available solutions. Awareness remains a critical barrier to people accessing appropriate hearing care.

"Hearing loss can be a challenging and isolating experience, but with the right support and timely diagnosis, people can have good outcomes and maintain a high quality of life," added Dr. Minami. "While accepting hearing loss is a personal journey and each person's experience will be different, acting on any signs of hearing loss early by speaking with a healthcare professional is important."

Shigehiro Kaminaka, General Manager of Cochlear Japan, welcomed the introduction of this new technology: "We are pleased to bring a new generation of cochlear implant technology to Japan. This innovation has the potential to provide meaningful benefits for both healthcare professionals and people living with hearing loss, helping more individuals stay connected to the world around them. As Japan continues to prioritise healthy longevity, Cochlear Japan is committed to helping more people access hearing solutions and stay connected to the sounds that matter most."

More information: For further information about cochlear implants in Japan please visit https://www.kikoenowa.jp

About hearing loss in Japan

Disabling hearing loss is a significant health issue in Japan, with approximately 11% of Japanese people affected¹:

• Approximately 42–44% of people in Japan aged ≥65 years are affected by hearing loss, with prevalence exceeding 70% in adults aged 75 years and older, reflecting Japan’s super‑ageing population structure.^1,11
• Despite its great prevalence, only 33.6% of people aged 75 and older in Japan are aware that they have hearing loss.^11-12
• Congenital hearing loss affects ~1.6 per 1,000 live births in Japan. Universal newborn screening enables early diagnosis, with management including prompt hearing‑aid fitting and cochlear implantation for severe‑to‑profound cases to support speech and language development.^2,13-14

About cochlear implants in Japan^¥

Cochlear implantation in Japan is considered for children and adults. For adults, the candidacy criteria include individuals with bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss with an average hearing level of 90 dB HL or greater in unaided condition, or those with profound sensorineural hearing loss ranging from 70 dB to less than 90 dB HL who demonstrate 50% or less word recognition scores on speech discrimination testing with hearing aids. In children, more stringent criteria (e.g., profound hearing loss ≥90 dB HL) are often applied in younger infants with a minimum body weight of >8 kg or be 1 year of age or older at implantation age. In adults, candidacy has expanded to include individuals with residual hearing (≈70–90 dB HL) and speech recognition ≤50%, reflecting increased earlier intervention.^15-16

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

People have always been Cochlear’s inspiration, ever since Professor Graeme Clark set out to create the first multi-channel cochlear implant after seeing his father struggle with hearing loss. Since 1981, Cochlear has helped more than 750,000 people of all ages in more than 180 countries to hear. As the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, Cochlear connects people with life’s opportunities, and welcomes them to the world’s largest hearing implant community. Cochlear has a global workforce of more than 5,000 people, with a passion for progress, who strive to meet the needs of people living with hearing loss. The company continually innovates to anticipate future needs, investing more than AUD$3 billion to date in research and development to push the boundaries of technology and help more people hear.

www.cochlear.com

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