Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) views dementia and aging as key policy themes and has been engaged in these areas for many years. Our involvement in initiatives from national and local authorities includes generating policy recommendations and engaging in advocacy activities for the Basic Act on Dementia for an Inclusive Society, which was enacted in 2023, as well as for local regulations for dementia from local governments. Focusing on such local regulations, in December 2024, we presented a report examining ordinances for dementia in 23 municipalities that was titled, “Steps Toward Regulations for Dementia That Achieve Citizen-Centered Dementia Policy.” That same month, a national-level plan titled the “Basic Plan for the Promotion of Policies on Dementia” was approved by Cabinet Decision, and local governments are likely to follow suit in formulating their own Plans for the Promotion of Policies on Dementia in the future.

Among such developments in local governments, recent years have seen a growing amount of attention being paid to caregiver support. In fact, over 30 municipalities had enacted such ordinances by the end of 2024, and this number is likely to continue to increase. Saitama Prefecture was first in the nation to enact an ordinance in support of caregivers, and defines “caregiver” as “a person who provides uncompensated long-term care, nursing care, assistance in daily life, or other support to a relative, friend, or someone else close to them and that requires assistance due to a condition like old age, physical or mental disability, or illness.” A “caregiver” is broadly considered to be anyone who provides uncompensated long-term care, nursing care, or assistance in daily life regardless of the characteristics of the care recipient.

When such ordinances have been established, there has been recognition of the fact that caregivers tend to emerge from within households or immediate social circles, but there have been lingering issues that have yet to be clarified, such as the various physical, emotional, and financial burdens or the isolation that caregivers experience, or the circumstances in which they give up their own aspirations to provide care. In Japan in recent years, a growing focus on the concept of “young caregivers” has been elevating awareness of the term “caregiver” itself. Field studies from organizations like Carers Japan have led to more media coverage of young caregivers, and such studies have been conducted in various regions throughout the country. In 2024, Japan passed a revised law on support for child and youth development which describes young caregivers as, “Children and young people recognized as being excessively engaged in long-term care for family members or providing other forms of support in daily life,” and which obligates national and local authorities or similar bodies to endeavor to provide young caregivers with various forms of support.

For the 131st HGPI Seminar, we will host Professor Masatoshi Tsudome, Professor Emeritus of Ritsumeikan University, who will talk about circumstances and issues surrounding support for caregivers using the enactment of the Kyoto City Caregiver Ordinance as a case study. Professor Tsudome serves as representative caregiver of Kyoto Carer Network and has offered various recommendations from the perspective of an affected party and citizen regarding the aforementioned ordinance, which was enacted in November 2024. It was proposed jointly by all council members and was passed with unanimous support, and it describes the philosophy of supporting caregivers, roles, and the basic measures to make society a place where every caregiver can receive all-of-society support, enjoy healthy, cultured living, and achieve self-fulfillment. By examining the policy process used to formulate that ordinance, we would like to provide an opportunity to examine current circumstances and issues surrounding caregivers and what the ideal society for them would look like.

[Event Overview]

• Speaker:
  Prof. Masatoshi Tsudome (Professor Emeritus, Ritsumeikan University)
• Date & Time: Wednesday, March 19, 2025; 17:30-19:00 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 500 participants

■Profile:

Prof. Masatoshi Tsudome (Professor Emeritus, Ritsumeikan University)

Professor Masatoshi Tsudome was born in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1953. He holds a master’s degree from the Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of Sociology. After serving on the Kyoto City Social Welfare Council (where his roles included Director of the Community Welfare Department and the Volunteer Information Center), he was appointed Professor at Ritsumeikan University in April 2001. He was named professor emeritus by Ritsumeikan University in April 2019. He established the “Man Nursing and Support Person’s Nationwide Networks” in March 2009, where he serves as Director-General. His published works include Men Who Serve as Long-term Caregivers: The State of Family Care and Support Initiatives, Living the Male Caregiver Life: Calling Out to One Million Male Caregivers, The Male Caregiver White Paper: Recommendations for Supporting Family Caregivers, The Clinical Sociology of Volunteerism: A Future Clouded in Ambiguity, and A Social Movement for Happiness: When People Support One Another.