On March 16, 2026,  the Hearing Loss Project of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)  convened its second Advisory Board Meeting. The meeting focused on two central issues: the absence of an established system capable of simultaneously ensuring both access to and quality of appropriate hearing support devices, and the significant financial burden associated with medical consultations and the introduction of hearing devices. A broad range of stakeholders involved in the provision and use of hearing technologies, including organizations representing individuals with hearing loss, manufacturers of hearing aids and cochlear implants, and speech and language therapists, participated in discussions addressing both institutional design and practical implementation.

Globally, approximately 430 million people—equivalent to around 5% of the world’s population, including 34 million children—currently require intervention for hearing loss. By 2050, it is estimated that 2.5 billion people will experience some form of hearing-related difficulty, of whom approximately 700 million will require auditory rehabilitation. In Japan, the number of individuals with hearing loss has likewise increased alongside population ageing, reaching approximately 14.3 million people, or roughly 10% of the population, making hearing loss policy an urgent national issue.

Against this backdrop, HGPI launched the Hearing Loss Project in fiscal year 2025. In collaboration with experts from multiple sectors, including persons with lived experience, academia, healthcare professionals, government ministries and local authorities, legislators, and private-sector stakeholders such as hearing aid and cochlear implant manufacturers and retailers, the project has sought to develop a comprehensive understanding of the challenges surrounding hearing loss and to identify policy measures requiring prioritized implementation. As part of this initiative, HGPI established an Advisory Board to facilitate multidimensional discussions centered on solutions grounded in the perspectives of affected individuals. Following the first meeting, the second Advisory Board Meeting was convened as a continuation of these efforts.

Based on the issues and themes identified through discussions across the two Advisory Board Meetings, the project is currently in the process of compiling a set of policy recommendations, scheduled for publication in June 2026.

[Event Overview]

• Date & Time: Monday, March 16 2026, 15:00–17:00 JST
• Format: In-person, closed meeting
• Venue: Global Business Hub Tokyo, 3F, Otemachi Financial City Grand Cube
• Language: Japanese
• Host: Health and Global Policy Institute

Participants (Titles Omitted; in no particular order) 

Koichiro Wasano (Professor, Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine) 
Takashi Nakagawa (Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University) 
Yoshiaki Kawasaki (President, Japan Otorhinolaryngologists Association) 
Tatsuo Shukuya (Chairperson, Japanese Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing People) 
Yumiko Minami (Deputy Director, International Affairs Department, Japanese Federation of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing People) 
Tatsuki Shiota (Board Member (Vice Chair), ACITA: Association of Cochlear Implant Users and Supporters) 
Yasuhiro Suzuki (President, International University of Health and Welfare / Former Chief Medical and Global Health Officer, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) 
Masayuki Kambara (Director of Marketing, WS Audiology Japan K.K.) 
Masataka Ota (Executive Officer and General Manager, Medical Equipment Division, Rion Co., Ltd.) 
Shigehiro Kaminaka (President and Executive Officer, Cochlear Japan Co., Ltd.) 
Daisuke Tojo (Chairperson, Japan Hearing Instruments Manufacturers Association) 
Rie Inoue (Speech and Language Therapist, Japanese Association of Speech-Language-Hearing Therapists) 
Yoshihiro Kuroiwa (Executive Director, Techno-Aids Association) 

Moderator:
Eri Yoshimura (Senior Manager, HGPI) 

[Program]