Prime Minister Kishida met with Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Takemi and expressed his intention to hold the first meeting of a new conference headed by Prime Minister Kishida on May 27 to strengthen the response to dementia, and to compile measures by the end of the year.
With the aging of the population, the number of people with dementia is on the rise, and a research group of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates that one in five elderly people will have dementia next year.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Kishida held a meeting with Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Takemi at the Prime Minister's Office on the morning of November 5 and confirmed his policy of strengthening responses based on the enactment of the Basic Law, which stipulates the efforts of the national and local governments to enable people with dementia to live with hope.
Prime Minister Kishida then stated, "I would like to use this as an opportunity to show how seriously the world's aging Japan is tackling this issue," and indicated that he would hold the first meeting of the "Council for the Realization of a 'Happy Aging Society' to Face Dementia" on May 1, headed by himself, and compile measures by the end of the year.
The meeting will be attended by people with dementia, their families, and experts as committee members, and a wide range of topics are expected to be discussed, including the ideal support system, promotion of understanding of dementia, and treatment methods.