JUNICHI KONO, PRESIDENT OF CJK MEDICAL LABO (PART OF THE KONO SEISAKUSHO GROUP), SHARES HOW RITZWELL FURNITURE HAS BECOME A KEY ELEMENT IN CREATING WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS A "SOCIAL ARENA": A SPACE WITHIN THE CJK MEDICAL LABO HEADQUARTERS IN KITA-AOYAMA (TOKYO), DESIGNED TO INSPIRE INNOVATION, COLLABORATION, AND HUMAN CONNECTION.
"When I heard Ritzwell furniture was delivered to a social arena for adults, my heart started to race a little. One of the small to medium businesses in Kita-Aoyama, Minato City, Tokyo, owns such a social arena."
Furniture Creating Connections Between People | CJK Medical Labo
Founded in 1949 as a manufacturer of needles for instruments used in measuring vital signs, Kono Seisakusho Co., Ltd. has since evolved into a developer, producer, and distributor of medical devices under the CROWNJUN brand. In August 2024, the group relocated the headquarters of CJK Medical Labo—a company specializing in medical device distribution and marketing research—from Ochanomizu to Kita-Aoyama. The new space includes an office designed to foster collaboration and innovation among professionals from various industries, complemented by an integrated café. The environment has been furnished with ten types of Ritzwell-designed pieces, including the MERCURY LOUNGE CHAIR, OS TABLE | SIDE TABLE, GQ TABLE | SIDE TABLE, RIVAGE STOOL, EASY CHAIR and LOUNGE CHAIR, BLAVA EASY CHAIR, and the VERSE LOUNGE CHAIR. Below is an interview with the Group President, Junichi Kono.
Production of Multiple Product Types in Small Quantities
"My grandfather founded the company by putting his craftsmanship to use, and with my father, the business expanded into the medical field. At 28, I decided to follow in their footsteps: I left an insurance company to join the family business. Since then, we've been responding directly to the needs of the clinical sector—like when we're asked if we can make surgical needles that are even smaller and more precise. That's how we've grown as a medical device manufacturer," says President Junichi Kono. Crownjun Kono Co., Ltd. is now a dynamic tech company specializing in the development, marketing, and distribution of medical devices under the CROWNJUN brand. The company aims to become a global leader in niche markets through proprietary micro-manufacturing technologies and a strong internationalization strategy. "There are many rare diseases that affect only a small number of patients, but major manufacturers tend to overlook them because the markets are too small. We, on the other hand, want to address these specific needs by producing a wide variety of products in small batches. Our strategy is to develop niche markets on a global scale—not just in Japan. Our strength lies precisely in the desire to leave no one behind: we want to create devices that can make a difference, even for those who belong to clinical minorities."
30% 7-to-3 Culture
“We are basically a company that makes products. We regularly have 20 to 30 development projects to release at least two new products a year. It is also key to pick up the needs of doctors. In this process, sometimes the technology that we developed enabled therapy methods that were not possible before. The key is to connect the needs-oriented approach with the seeds-oriented approach that aims to actualize new ideas. We call it ‘medical-engineering collaboration,’ which is meeting the needs in medicine through the seeds in engineering and then developing products.”
The company’s philosophy is producing products while valuing the connections between people and making things that do not exist from scratch. This has been enabled by the 30% 7-to-3 culture that fully started around 2018. It is a corporate culture where 30% of working time is spent doing projects that are not regular work. This can be time to take on new challenges. As this was not top-down and anyone could launch new projects, young employees found more chances to be successful.
“Our business model is creating products that never existed in the past and shaping new markets. You need to have extra time when you work to have the time to make products that do not exist in the market. We currently have close to 200 employees, but we would only need 70% of the staff and work time to process existing businesses. Good ideas and innovative products are not born unless you constantly have the spirit to shape the market from scratch. We want projects to be managed horizontally, not vertically (top-down).”
When their Tsukuba Factory was expanded, the initiative was led by employees, and the project was called “the New Factory Project.” The project invited place-making experts from the University of Tsukuba and collaborated with university students. The company’s owned-media, TSUNAGU, streamed this project.
Innovation is born, and technology is improved after each one of the employees takes on challenges without any fear of failure.
World's Smallest Surgery Needle
The diameter of the company’s 0.8 mm long needle is 0.03 mm, or 30 μm (micrometer). The diameter of human hair is between 40 and 120 μm, so this needle is thinner than hair. This is the innovative and the world’s smallest surgery needle that CROWNJUN successfully produced in 2001. “The 30 μm surgery needle enabled surgeries in fields that were not previously possible. It is the only surgery needle that can perform suturing of blood vessels and nerves that are 0.5 mm or smaller and is highly evaluated by microsurgeons. Today, the suturing of the lymphatic vessel has become common practice, but this procedure took twenty and a few years to spread around the world. Even if Japan has technology to be proud of, we can be left behind if we are not good at promoting it. We want to promote good products on our own, connect people, and bring about innovation.” CROWNJUN’s 30 μm surgery needle received the Prime Minister’s Award of the Monodzukuri Nippon Grand Award (Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry) in 2009, recognizing its contribution to minimally invasive medical treatment.
The Discovery of Ritzwell
“I first discovered Ritzwell when I saw their sofas and armchairs in a hotel—I was struck by the quality. I assumed it was a foreign brand, so I was surprised to learn it was Japanese. I later purchased their products for my home and was fascinated by the leather and the craftsmanship. As a manufacturer myself, I can feel their commitment to quality—their craftsmanship is built to last. In 2022, when we relocated Crownjun’s headquarters to Ochanomizu, I insisted on using Ritzwell furniture for the CEO’s reception room,” Junichi Kono recalls. Ritzwell cultivates a deep sense of craftsmanship aimed at surprising and inspiring its customers, with its Itoshima Seaside Factory and a small workshop inside its Omotesando showroom, where clients and artisans interact directly. “Craftspeople need the right environment and motivation to create high-quality products. You can clearly see that in the final result. That’s why I wanted the entire second floor of CJK Medical Labo to be furnished with Ritzwell pieces—it was my only request. We even customized a table, adapting it to match the brand’s style. Though the space had an irregular layout, we designed a large round table that fits seamlessly into the environment.”
The Foundation of Open Innovation
This is the heart of CJK Medical Labo, born from an internal project that involved multiple departments. One employee discovered that a parking lot was going to be redeveloped into an office building and secured the space before construction even began. “We work freely and without fear. Making mistakes is normal. Products with zero mistakes are actually bad—we need to learn and improve quickly. I always tell my team: show what you're working on so you can get feedback from the field. Without dialogue with doctors or patient associations, you can’t understand real needs.” CROWNJUN operates in the medical and healthcare sectors, with a mission to promote long, healthy lives. This collaborative innovation office was created to broaden perspectives and facilitate communication among professionals from a wide range of fields—not only medicine. “The key is connecting people. Here, we’ve created a social arena for those working in healthcare and other sectors. Innovation is born from these kinds of connections. Some might think the café is just for leisure, but that’s not the case. The golf simulator on the third floor and the café on the first are tools designed to strengthen relationships.” In this space, a person’s social status—even that of a doctor—is irrelevant. What matters is human connection. That’s why over ten types of Ritzwell furnishings were chosen. “Guests often find the space so comfortable they end up staying longer than planned. There are no assigned seats, and the variety of chairs helps foster an open, barrier-free atmosphere.” The second floor is a multi-functional space designed for presentations, study groups, and events, while the third floor is reserved for golf—a sport known for bringing people together. Each floor serves a distinct purpose. “Many visitors ask us which brand furnished the space. I’m always happy to receive such positive feedback. You can only truly appreciate the comfort of Ritzwell furniture by experiencing it firsthand, so feel free to treat our space like a real Ritzwell showroom. And after all, our companies are close to each other.” This space fully embodies the atmosphere of a social arena for adults, and it will be further enhanced in future initiatives—including a cello concert already in the works.
Place and furniture that can bridge connections
For the company, holding seminars and meetings here led to more vibrant discussions than ever before. “Environment is important. Office desks and office chairs cannot achieve this. We realized innovative things cannot be produced unless we do it with open innovation, inside and outside the company. I wonder how long it would take for the concept of this place to spread. I guess it would be hard to be understood unless we get tangible results. It also took quite a while for the 30μm diameter surgery needle to spread in society. We need to properly promote our activities and philosophies. Otherwise, we will not be noticed.” Some values are naturally obtained through touching quality items. We found people having a meeting at a café on the first floor while enjoying authentic café latte. The company even makes production machines for making products on their own, so it feels natural that they have the conviction to run the café among the employees themselves. It would be a valuable method that can be considered for a human resource development case study. This space is precisely a social arena for adults that brings about innovation. They say that people are shaped by their environment, but it is also true that the environment is shaped by people. We hope that this place will develop to be an even better social arena, and we are proud that Ritzwell furniture could be part of their endeavor.
We appreciate your time today, President Kono.
Project: CJK medical labo.co.ltd
Owner: CJK medical labo.co.ltd
Project Management: SPACE PRODUCE CO., LTD.
Art Direction/Interior Design: woo
Photo: Yuichiro Ohmura
CJK Medical Labo Co., Ltd. (Kono Seisakusho group company)
107-0061, 3-10-12 Kita-Aoyama, Minato City, Tokyo
