JLGC’s annual seminar, this year on ‘Better Ageing in Japan and UK City Regions’, brought together over 70 professionals on March 16 from UK and Japanese government, business and academia, to examine age-friendly environments as places which promote active inclusion and opportunity for all.
Setsuko Saya, Head of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Division at the OECD
Gathering in Church House in Westminster, the event was chaired by Simon Parker, Director of the New Local Government Network (NLGN) think tank, who opened in venturing that as the advanced aged society in the world’s most rapidly ageing region, how Japan’s cities develop and cooperate to produce people-centred visions for quality of life will be the subject of international attention, especially after years of fiscal austerity as in the UK.
The seminar began with Setsuko Saya, Head of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Division at the OECD, who outlined the organization’s work in highlighting best practice in the Japanese cities of Yokohama and Toyama as part of its work to align the agenda for smarter ageing with inclusive economic growth.
We then heard from Dr Mayumi Hayashi of the Institute of Gerontology at King’s College London and a frequent commentator on ageing society in Japan. Dr Hayashi set out the context behind Japan’s creation of age-friendly and dementia-friendly communities in saying that the country has the world’s fastest ageing population, with a rising proportion (almost 20% by 2025) living alone and a shrinking care workforce combining with rising debt to GDP (242%) meaning that Japan faces an imminent social care crisis.
A ‘Smart Approach for Ageing in Cities’ was set out next by Reiko Shimoda of NEC, who detailed the company’s interest in the agenda and hope to generate optimal solutions for cities as part of its business operations in both the UK and Japan. Shimoda considered that as 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, NEC could play a part in working up which it refers to as ‘social solutions’ for urbanization and that it hoped to also act as a bridgehead for the smart city movement between Japan and the UK.
Next we heard from Dr Anna Dixon, Chief Executive of the Centre for Ageing Better, one of seven ‘What Works Centres’ of the UK government which look at evidence-based policy aimed at better preparing for an ageing society. Dr Dixon outlined the relatively new organization’s aims and programmes, including its £80m Big Lottery Fund projects in 14 local areas (including Camden) aimed at reducing social isolation among older people in England.
Question and answer session followed the main speakers, chaired by NLGN’s Simon Parker
Our final speaker for the seminar was introduced by JLGC Director Kazuya Shima, who spoke a few words on the role of CLAIR and its overseas office network in representing and promoting Japan’s cities and regions.
A participant of the 2015 Study Tour, Richard Elphick (Strategic Commissioner for the London Borough of Camden), then gave his presentation of feedback from the tour in order to inform the seminar of UK-based practice and how learning from Japan could impact on this. A lively but brief question and answer session followed the main speakers, chaired by NLGN’s Simon Parker, which took into consideration topics such as active learning, community safety in Japan (as compared to the UK), the role of technology against enduring austerity and, appropriately, what the UK can learn from Japan in anticipation of its own ageing society.
A more detailed article of the presentations can be seen HERE, along with the PowerPoint slides used by the speakers.
Details of Japan Study Tour, with details on how to apply, can be seen HERE.
