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Japan to help Asean cope with aging
An elderly woman bows to the main shrine during the four-day annual Autumn Festival in the compound of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Oct
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An elderly woman bows to the main shrine during the four-day annual Autumn Festival in the compound of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Oct. 20. (AP/Shizuo Kambayashi) (AP/Shizuo Kambayashi)
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span class="inline inline-center">An elderly woman bows to the main shrine during the four-day annual Autumn Festival in the compound of Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, Oct. 20. (AP/Shizuo Kambayashi)
The Japanese government plans to launch a public-private consultation mechanism with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations next fiscal year to help member nations cope with their aging populations, according to sources.
The aging of Japan's population has preceded that in Asean member nations, so the project aims to utilize the nation's experience in handling the growing trend. The project is also expected to allow Japanese companies involved in medical and nursing care services to more easily enter Asean markets, which are expected to face rapid population aging in the future.
Government officials and experts from Japan as well as Asean nations are expected to join the consultation mechanism to discuss issues related to nursing care services in each country.
According to sources, each member country's respective situation will determine whether to emphasize facility-based or home-based insured nursing care services when devising project plans.
Nursing care business operators and members of nonprofit organisations are also set to participate so there will be cooperation in the field.
The government included 15 million yen (US$124,000) for the project in budget requests for next fiscal year. The first round of consultation talks is being planned for the Asean region, and the government is considering holding such talks on a regular basis.
Asean countries are expected to age at a faster pace than Japan. According to the United Nations and other sources, Japan took 25 years for its population of individuals 65 or older to double from 7 per cent to 14 per cent ' or about one in seven people ' as of 1995. Vietnam is expected to see the same shift in only 15 years, by 2033, and Indonesia is expected to see it in 17 years, by 2038.
Japan has already made efforts to assist Asean nations through a range of measures, including the introduction of high-performance care beds to Singapore and Brunei as well as providing instruction in nursing care preventive programs involving an entire local community in Malaysia.
However, these efforts have remained on an individual level for each nation. With the launch of the consultation mechanism, the government aims to make support measures more comprehensive for the Asean region as a whole.
High demand is expected from Asean countries in the future for beds, diapers and other medical and nursing care products made in Japan, as well as nursing-care robots. (kes)(+)
