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Get Around This Table INTERNAT I ONAL LONGEV I TY CENTER -JAPAN Global Information Journal on Longevity and Society 2008 Get Around This Table ... ILC Global Alliance ILC-USA Robert N. Butler, M.D. President and CEO Professor of geriatrics at the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at the Mount Sinai Medical Center Founding Director of National Institute on Aging ILC-Japan Shigeo Morioka President Former CEO of Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (current Astellas Pharma Inc.) Former Chairman of the Fair Trade Council of the Ethical Pharmaceutical Drugs Manufacturing Industry International Longevity Center=ILC was ILC-France founded with the aim of studying various issues Françoise Forette, M.D. CEO concerning population aging with low-fertility President of the Board of Directors of the Hospital Broca from the international and interdisciplinary Former Special Adviser on Aging of the Minister of Health, Social Security, Elderly, Family and Disabled Persons perspectives and sharing the findings broadly ILC-UK to educate the public and to make policy Sally Greengross, OBE proposals. Chief Executive Eleven centers have been established to A crossbench (independent) member of date in the world: in the United States, Japan, the House of Lords France, the United Kingdom, Dominican ILC-Dominican Republic Republic, India, South Africa, Argentina, Dr. Rosy Pereyra, M.D. the Netherlands, Israel and Singapore. These President centers constitute an alliance (called ILC Global Organizer of Grand Parents Institute Former General Director of State Services to the Elderly of the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance Alliance) that promotes joint studies as well as country-specific activities. ILC-India This concept of ILC Global Alliance was R.A.Mashelkar, Ph.D. President Chemical engineering scientist advocated by Dr. Robert N. Butler, a global Bhatnagar Fellow at National Chemical Laboratry President of Global Research Alliance authority on gerontology (current President & Former Director General Council of Scientific and Industrial Research CEO of ILC-USA). In Japan, a group of private ILC-South Africa companies endorsed his vision; also, then Monica Ferreira, DPhil. Ministry of Health and Welfare (currently President Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) assented to Board of the International Institute on Ageing (UN-Malta) (INIA) Board of the World Demographic Association (WDA) the thought. Consequently after three years of Steering Group of the African Research on Ageing Network (AFRAN) preparatory work with the guidance of the ILC-Argentina Ministry, ILC-Japan was launched in November Lia Susana Daichman, M.D. 1990. Since then, we have actively sought to President promote policy proposals and advocacies in Chair of Latin American Committee for the Preventions of Elder Abuse low-fertility aging society as well as to share our President of INPEA findings and to educate the public. ILC-Netherlands Additionally we think it one of ILC-Japan’s Mr. Jacques H. Schraven President crucial missions to provide abroad information on problems of population aging in Japan and Former president of Royal Shell Netherlands Former President of the Confederation of the Netherlands the systems and status to cope with them. ILC-Israel ILC-Japan is proactively making efforts to Sara Carmel, Ph.D, M.P.H. realize an aging society where all generations President Professor of medical sociology and gerontology at will support one another and live happily. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel President of the Israel Gerontological Society Chairperson of the Fund for Research in Aging, Ministry for Senior Affairs ILC-Singapore Marry Ann Tsao, Ph.D. President President of Tsao Foundation CONTENTS ROUNDTABLE DI S C USS I ON 1 Is There Anything I Can Do to Help? •2 Natural Elderly Independence and Participation in Society Keiko Higuchi Hitoshi Kato Chairperson, Women’s Association for Non-fiction author the Better Aging Society 2 The Aging of Suburban Residential Areas: •12 Creating New Ways of Living Mariko Sonoda Yuko Nishikawa Associate professor, Meiji University Professor, Kyoto Bunkyo University Yukihiro Kadono Ken Miura Professor, Kwansei Gakuin University Associate professor, Graduate School, Osaka City University 3 The Health Insurance System in Japan •28 Its History and Significance Hidehisa Otsuji Yoshio Gyoten Former Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Medical commentator House of Councilors Member 4 The Adult Guardianship System and •38 Human Rights of the Elderly Sachiko Murata Makoto Arai Welfare journalist Professor and Dean of Tsukuba University Law School Hiroshi Kanekawa Sachiko Takagi Executive Director, Japanese Association of Senior Staff, General Affairs Welfare Division, Certified Social Workers City of Machida ... to Create the Global Network for the World’s Next Challenge 5 A New Form of Local Community •52 Takeshi Sasaki Tokumi Odagiri Professor, Gakushuin University Professor, Meiji University Chairperson, Self-Supporting Zone Study Panel Member, Self-Supporting Zone Study Panel Mitsuo Makino Yoshinori Yamaoka Mayor of Iida City in Nagano Prefecture Professor, Hosei University Member, Self-Supporting Zone Study Panel President, Japan NPO Center Michiko Mukuno Professor, Oita University Participants’ List •66 This journal includes the part of roundtable discussion at the beginning part of every issue of “Global Information Journal on Longevity and Society” (originally in Japanese) published by ILC-Japan in 2008. The roundtable discussion was attend- ed by leading persons of each field and this issue is the extracts of those discussions from vol. 5 to vol. 9 which were trans- lated into English and compiled by ILC-Japan. 1 Participants: Keiko Higuchi Chairperson, Women’s Ro un Association for the Better Aging dt Society ab le D is c u s s i o n Is There Anything I Can Do to Help? 1 Natural Elderly Independence and Participation in Society • The role of the elderly in family life (multiple answers) Counsel family and relatives Care for small children Support the family (income earner) No role 50 (%) 40 30 20 Source: “2006 Global Comparative Survey on 10 the Lives and Feelings of the Elderly” by the Cabinet Office Note: The subjects of this survey were men and women age 60 and over not living in elder care facilities. The survey was con- ducted in Japan from November-December 0 2005 and in other countries from Decem- Japan USA South Korea Germany France ber 2005-Febuary 2006. 2 Hitoshi Kato Non-fiction author The topic of what role the elderly can play in their communities and in so- ciety is related to how people live after they retire from work. It is a topic that has been addressed in many forums. There have been changes in fami- ly relations, as well as in the roles that the elderly play in the family. What is necessary so that the personality and experience of each elderly person can be used and, most importantly, so that the person can enjoy interacting with his or her family and community and fulfilling his or her role therein? •1 Grandma Power (Shinsui-sha, 2006) From various perspectives, we talked with Keiko Higuchi, who wrote a With the sudden increase in the popula- tion of the elderly and working women, book that focuses on the power of grandparents, and Hitoshi Kato, who the importance of the role that grand- parents play is globally being reevaluat- ed. This book discusses the future of the wrote on the individual lives of retirees with great care. influential power of grandparents, tak- ing into consideration child-rearing by grandparents, changes in family rela- tions now and then, and so forth. Kato: Ms. Higuchi, when I read my grandparents taught me that your book, Grandma Power•1, it re- there is not just one path. My minded me that ways of thinking in grandparents showed me that there the world today are quite myopic. are many values in the world and Likewise, I feel a strong dissatisfac- that, adults and children are accept- tion and concern that the mass me- ed and encouraged for who they are dia has such a one-sided view. even in local communities. Perhaps the decline in the influen- Parents feel responsibility and tial power of grandparents is one pressure toward child-rearing, but reason that diverse thinking is be- grandparents can interact with their coming difficult. grandchildren as “good people” un- I was born in 1947, but my par- conditionally. To play the role of ents worked long hours to support “good people” is very important. the family in the chaotic post-war Grandparents exist to interact with period, so I was raised by my grand- their grandchildren and foster love parents. Looking back now, I think through their gentleness and 3 Roundtable Discussion 1 permissiveness. reached a time when people enjoy In my view, the fact that there are living to the age of 100, the influen- people in addition to family who tial power of grandparents within will affirm, accept, and indulge chil- the family has declined, and their dren within the community is very main role is to indulge the children. important for today’s children who That’s why I thought it would be must live with the feeling that there good to create a place to meet in lo- is no way out. The role that the el- cal communities. derly should play lies therein, but I It is difficult for individual grand- have been concerned lately that parents to gain influence, so this even grandparents tend to pigeon- means raising social power of hole children into one value system. grandparents within the communi- ty. In particular, I want to encourage Higuchi: As I wrote in Grandma grandfathers who have plenty of so- Power, I too am perplexed by today’s cial experience and diverse grandparents, perhaps because viewpoints. grandparents in their 60s were raised completely immersed in studying for Kato: Unfortunately, the reality of college entrance exams.
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