Improving the quality of life for children undergoing hospital treatment since 2007

Manulife Life Insurance Company (President & CEO：Gavin Robinson; Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; referred to as "Manulife Japan" hereinafter) announced that it has opened the application period for its 2015 "Manulife Waku Waku Room" project to support the building of playrooms for children undergoing medical treatment across various hospitals in Japan. The project is part of Manulife Japan's corporate social responsibility activities and commitment to promote health and wellness.

Since 2007, Manulife Japan has been supporting the "Manulife Support Kids Project" that aims to provide medical and healthcare support for children. The project is collaboration with the Central Community Chest of Japan and NPO Children's Health Forum. Building Waku Waku Rooms is one of the main activities of the project. Manulife Japan provides the financial support for building these playrooms which pediatric experts agree, provide an environment conducive for recuperation. Since April 2015, eleven Waku Waku Rooms have already been turned-over and a twelfth room is expected to be completed by the end of 2015 in Sakai-city, Osaka.

In addition to Waku Waku Rooms, the Manulife Support Kids Project also runs an annual campaign asking for new ideas that can positively impact the living conditions of children undergoing hospital treatment. This year, Manulife Japan is once again gathering applications from pediatric care facilities for two categories: "Waku Waku Rooms" and "Ideas on Enhancement of Children's Treatment Environment in Hospitals." The application period began in July and will close on September 18, 2015. The complete details and requirements for applying to the project can be found at Children's Health Forum's website (www.npo-cln.com).

In order to reduce the stress children are experiencing from the treatment, experts agree that it is essential to provide a relaxing space reminiscent of their homes and provide opportunities to interact with other children. However, due to lack of funding, many pediatric medical and welfare facilities rarely have the design that prioritizes this, even where a playroom is installed. Through the Project, Manulife Japan supports the installation and operation of playrooms and raises awareness for the importance of these kid-friendly spaces. Manulife Japan will continue to actively pursue its social contribution activities.

About Manulife
Manulife Life Insurance Company ("Manulife Japan") is a member of the Manulife Financial Group.

Manulife is a leading Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia, Canada and the United States. We operate as John Hancock in the U.S. and as Manulife in other parts of the world. We provide strong, reliable, trustworthy and forward-thinking solutions for our customers' significant financial decisions. Our international network of employees, agents and distribution partners offers financial protection and wealth management products and services to millions of clients. We also provide asset management services to institutional customers. Assets under management by Manulife and its subsidiaries were approximately C$821 billion (US$648 billion) as at March 31, 2015.

Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife can be found on the Internet at manulife.com.

Media Contact
Asako Tanabe
Branding, Marketing & Communications
Manulife Life Insurance Company
Tel: +81 3-6331-7775

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