*Registration for in-person participation has closed. Online participation is still available. (April 2, 2026)

In December 2025, Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) published a policy recommendation addressed to the new administration entitled: “Strategic Investments in Policies for Brain Health to Revitalize Japan: Hopes for the New Administration” In this document, HGPI emphasized the importance of positioning brain health at the core of Japan’s national growth strategy.

In FY2026, building upon its experience in dementia policy, HGPI will launch a project aimed at examining how Japanese society might conceptualize “brain health” across the entire life course. The project seeks to explore how social systems can be designed to both:

• Foster a society capable of generating and utilizing innovation; and
• Realize an inclusive society in which no one is left behind, irrespective of their health status or disability.

This symposium marks the official launch of the project. At its core lies the concept of “Brain Capital”, which has recently attracted growing attention within the international community. The symposium aims to clearly position approaches to brain health not merely as social costs, but as investments in Japan’s future. “Brain Capital” refers to the aggregate of brain health and brain skills that individuals and societies can cultivate and strengthen throughout the life course. It constitutes a foundational asset underpinning labor productivity, innovative capacity, and the sustainability of society itself. An economic and social model grounded in Brain Capital is described as the “Brain Economy.” Brain Capital is simultaneously:

• An asset belonging to individuals; and
• A shared societal foundation that must be protected and nurtured collectively.

If one accepts that a sustainable economy and society depend upon enabling all individuals to maintain and enhance their brain health, then investment in brain health must be understood not only as human capital development, but also as investment in the realization of a society in which no one is excluded. However, this perspective also raises an important question. If social investment in brain health disproportionately favors those deemed “high return” individuals, while those with severe symptoms or socioeconomic disadvantage are left behind, such investment cannot truly be regarded as investment in society’s foundation.

This symposium therefore addresses this inherent tension. It seeks to explore how strategic investment in Brain Capital can be integrated with the construction of an inclusive society in which all individuals, regardless of symptoms or disease progression, are able to maintain dignity, social connectedness, and opportunities for participation.

While dementia serves as the starting point, the issues under discussion extend beyond dementia and include other neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression and epilepsy.

Furthermore, from an inclusive standpoint, the symposium will also consider future prospects for innovation in brain health.

For example, in the context of dementia, Japan has built a foundation for an inclusive society. Building upon this, it is essential to create a society in which individuals may exercise agency across the continuum, from preventive measures prior to onset, to post-diagnosis treatment, and to medical intervention in advanced stages, according to their circumstances, preferences and individual differences.

Innovation in brain health represents one of the fields expected to expand significantly in the coming years. Accordingly, discussions will address:

• Academic perspectives and research foundations;
• Strategies for strengthening research infrastructure;
• Social implementation;
• Industrial development and application.

This symposium aims to provide a forum for open and forward-looking dialogue among national and local government representatives, academia with diverse perspectives, and industry stakeholders.

Through these discussions, the symposium seeks to connect Japan’s experience to the global discourse on Brain Capital and to lay the groundwork for advancing inclusive and sustainable social systems grounded in a life-course approach to brain health.

 

[Event Overview]

• Date & Time: Monday, April 6, 2026, 09:00-12:30 JST
• Format: In person / Online (Zoom webinar)
• Venue: Sakura Room, 4th Floor, Main Building, Imperial Hotel Tokyo (1-1-1 Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
  
• Language: Japanese and English (simultaneous interpretation provided)
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: in person 50 participants (lottery selection if applications exceed capacity) / online 500 participants
• Organizer: Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)
• Sponsors: Eli Lilly Japan K.K.; Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; SOMPO Holdings Inc.

 

[Program] (Titles omitted; speaker list and content is subject to change)

09:00-09:10	Opening Remarks
	Ryoji Noritake (Chair, HGPI)
09:10-09:25	Introduction and Context Setting
	Shunichiro Kurita (Senior Manager, HGPI)
09:30-09:50	Keynote Lecture: “The Brain Economy: Positioning Brain Health as the Foundation of Economy and Society”
	Harris Eyre (Lead and Senior Fellow in Neuro-Policy, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy)
10:00-11:00	Panel Discussion 1: Cultivating a Society and Culture that Approaches Brain Health Across the Life Course: Integrating Innovation and an Inclusive Society
	Panelists: Takeshi Iwatsubo (Director, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry) Hiroyuki Uchiyama (Director-General, Office of Healthcare Policy, Cabinet Secretariat) Ayako Onzo (Project Researcher, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo) Yuji Kuroiwa (Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture) Satoko Hotta (Professor, Graduate School of Health Management, Keio University / Board Member, HGPI) Moderator: Shunichiro Kurita (Senior Manager, HGPI)
11:10-11:40	Presentation Session: Innovation in Brain Health
	“Building a Society That Accelerate Brain Health: Innovation for a Future Without Fear of Alzheimer’s Disease” (Provisional Title) Daniel M. Skovronsky (Chief Scientific and Product Officer and President, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company) “Music Science and Brain Health: The Value of Music and Arts in Healthcare and Wellness and the Need for Scientific Research” Shinya Fujii (Associate Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, Keio University)
11:40-12:30	Panel Discussion 2: Advancing and Strengthening the Foundations of Research in Brain Health
	Panelists: Takashi Sakurai (Director, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology) Ryosuke Takahashi (Specially Appointed Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University) Yasuyuki Taki (Professor, Division of Clinical Research in Aging, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University) Kaori Muto (Professor, Human Genome Center, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo) Moderator: Nana Moriguchi (Associate, HGPI)