Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) and Designing for Dementia co-hosted the 12th meeting of the Comparative Research Group on Local Regulations for Dementia. The group was formed with the goal of achieving better coexistence with dementia in the future by comparing existing local regulations related to dementia, to examine the content of those regulations, and to consider the ideal procedures for formulating regulations related to dementia.

On March 21, 2021, the group published its interim report and policy recommendations in a document entitled,  “Steps Toward Regulations for Dementia That Achieve Citizen-Centered Dementia Policy.”

At this, our 12th Meeting, participants held a hearing with Tondabayashi City, Osaka Prefecture.
Tondabayashi City enacted the “Tondabayashi City Regulation for a Happy City That Walks Together with Dementia” in September 2022 and it came into effect on October 1, 2022. At our hearing, we asked about the process that led up to its enactment and the discussions that defined its underlying philosophy. Each character in the title of the regulation as it appears on the Tondabayashi City website was written by one member of the working team that helped create it. This was done to convey that they succeeded in their vision of creating the regulation together with everyone through discussion.

■ Overview
Date & time: Thursday, January 12, 2023; 11:00-12:30
Format: Online (Zoom webinar)

■ Research group members (Titles omitted; in alphabetical order)
Shunichiro Kurita (Steering Committee Member, Designing for Dementia; Manager, HGPI)
Soichi Kosuga (Photojournalist)
Shinpei Saruwatari (Steering Committee Member, Designing for Dementia; Promoter for Consultation Support Integration, Omuta City Hall; Director, Shirakawa Hospital Comprehensive Community Health Office)
Takehito Tokuda (Steering Committee Member, Designing for Dementia; Board member, NPO Dementia Friendship Club)
Masaaki Hirai (Representative, Mahoroba Club)
Takashi Mihara (Senior Researcher, Insurance Research Department, NLI Research Institute)

*HGPI also serves as the secretariat for this research group.

■ Observers
Yoko Ushio (Member, Higashihiroshima City Council)
Tetsu Saito (Member, Urayasu City Council)
Steering Committee, Designing for Dementia

■ Comparative Research Group on Local Regulations for Dementia

September 30, 2020: The First Meeting
October 28, 2020: The Second Meeting
November 24, 2020: The Third Meeting
November 27, 2020: The Fourth Meeting
December 3, 2020: The Fifth Meeting Hearing at Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture
December 9, 2020: The Sixth Meeting: Hearing at Setagaya Ward, Tokyo
December 18, 2020: The Seventh Meeting Hearing at Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture
December 22, 2020: The Eighth Meeting Hearing at Hamada City, Shimane Prefecture
January 26, 2021: The Ninth Meeting
August 17, 2021: The 10th Meeting
November 24, 2022: The 11th Meeting