Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan think tank, has long been committed to addressing challenges in health and social security. By harnessing the collective intelligence of diverse stakeholders, HGPI aims to present new options for society, fostering citizen-centered health policy.

Japan’s social security system is currently facing structural challenges, including rapid population aging and a shrinking working-age population. With the increasing demand for healthcare and long-term care services due to the growing number of advanced late, social security benefits are projected to reach 190 trillion yen by 2040. Coupled with labor shortages due to the declining workforce, this trend threatens to increase the burden on the working generation and jeopardize the sustainability of the system. On the other hand, proactive efforts are being made by government and private sector experts to address these issues. Technological innovation is accelerating in healthcare and long-term care, giving rise to new services and system innovations. Moreover, policies and initiatives aimed at realizing a symbiotic society are being implemented nationwide, offering hope for a brighter future. These efforts not only have the potential not only to position Japan’s healthcare and elderly care industries as growth sectors but also to revitalize regional communities.

In the past, the National Council on Social Security System Reform, established in 2012, deliberated on the sustainability and future direction of the social security system from a long-term perspective. These discussions laid the foundation for Japan’s social security policy by seeking the optimal balance between “self-help, mutual assistance, and public help” while pursuing system enhancement and efficiency. Building on that momentum, the Meetings on a Social Security System Oriented to All Generations is currently advancing these discussions further. Additionally, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare unveiled the “Future Health and Active Society Strategy” in 2024, presenting a concrete vision for achieving a sustainable social security system. This strategy identifies three primary goals: promoting the growth of the healthcare and long-term care industries, harnessing innovation for societal benefit, and creating a society where individuals can lead healthy and active lives.

Against this backdrop of change, HGPI will provide a forum for discussion throughout 2025 with the “HGPI Salon 2025” on the theme of “Looking Ahead to the Future of Japan’s Social Security System”. Under the Chatham House Rule, these Salons will function as a platform for participants to engage in an open and candid dialogue to generate insights and ideas for policy development. Discussions will focus on specific challenges such as enhancing efficiency of healthcare and long-term care through ICT utilization, strengthening preventive care, and promoting the active participation of women and the elderly. Together with our board members and participants, we aim to conduct constructive discussions.

The HGPI Salon provides a positive space to share challenges in healthcare and social security while collaboratively exploring solutions for the future. The event is supported by participation fees, which are exclusively allocated to venue and operational expenses. Individual supporting members can attend free of charge. We warmly invite you to join us in envisioning a brighter future for Japan’s social security system.

[Event Overview]

• Session 2 Speakers

Guest Speaker: Yusuke Tsugawa (Board Member, HGPI)
Moderator: Kai Shigeno (Senior Associate, HGPI)

• Date & Time: Friday, June 27, 2025; 18:30-20:00 (Reception opens at 18:15) JST
• Format: In-person Only
• Venue: Global Business Hub Tokyo
  (3F Otemachi Financial City Grand Cube, 1-9-2 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004)
• Language: Japanese only
• Rules: Chatham House Rule
  (The Chatham House Rule refers to a meeting format in which discussions are held off-the-record and speakers remain unidentified. This rule aims to facilitate an honest and vigorous debate by ensuring anonymity.)
• Participation Fee:
  
  • • Individual Supporting Members: Free
    • General Participants
      ・Pre-payment via credit card: ¥4,000
      ・On-site cashless payment: ¥4,400
    • Students (undergraduates only)
      ・Pre-payment via credit card: ¥3,000
      ・On-site cashless payment: ¥3,300 (Student ID required)
  * Light refreshments will be provided at the venue. Participation fees will be fully allocated to operational and venue costs.
  
  
• Capacity: 60 participants (priority given to individual supporting members; lottery-based selection if applications exceed capacity)

 

Registration Deadline: June 19, 2025 (Thursday) 23:59 JST

Notification of Lottery Results: June 20, 2025 (Friday) by 15:00
*If there are still available seats at the application deadline, the application period may be extended. However, as a general rule, we cannot accommodate individual participation requests after the application deadline.
**After registration is complete, please enter the required information such as your name and email address via the “register” button above. An automatic confirmation email will be sent after your application. If you do not receive the email, please contact the HGPI secretariat at info@hgpi.org.

 

[Program]

18:30-18:35 Opening Remarks

18:35-19:30 Dialogue Session

Speaker: Yusuke Tsugawa (Board Member, HGPI)
Moderator: Kai Shigeno (Senior Associate, HGPI)

Discussion Topics:
– Challenges facing Japan’s social security system until 2040
– Concrete policy responses focused on 2025-2030

19:30-19:55: Q&A (Interactive session with participants)

19:55-20:00: Closing

 

■Profile

Yusuke Tsugawa (Board Member, HGPI)
Yusuke Tsugawa, MD, MPH, PhD is Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Management at UCLA. Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, he was a health specialist at the World Bank group and a research fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Tsugawa’s research has been published in leading medical and health policy journals including JAMA, JAMA Internal Medicine, BMJ, and Lancet. Dr. Tsugawa’s research has also been featured in several media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and National Public Radio. Dr. Tsugawa received PhD in Health Policy from Harvard University, MPH from Harvard School of Public Health, and MD from Tohoku University School of Medicine in Japan. His research is supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). He is an author of multiple books including “Causal Inference in Economics” (with Professor Makiko Nakamuro, published by DIAMOND, Inc.) and “Introduction to Health Policy” (Igaku-Shoin, Ltd.). He is an expert in health policy and health economics.

Kai Shigeno (Senior Associate, HGPI)
Mr. Kai Shigeno earned his nursing and public health nursing licenses after graduating from the School of Nursing at the Kanagawa University of Human Sciences Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. After working in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)/Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) at Tokyo Medical University Hospital, he enrolled in the Disaster Nursing Global Leader (DNGL) program provided by the Graduate School of Nursing at the Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing. He was later involved in various disaster relief activities which included providing medium- to long-term support after the Great East Japan Earthquake, acute support in Ehime Prefecture after the 2018 Japan floods, and acute support in Fukushima Prefecture in response to Typhoon Hagibis in 2019. He joined Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) in June 2021 after developing an interest in effectively structuring policy given the extraordinary nature of disasters while researching healthcare professionals’ health and duties during disaster response.

■ Proposed Board Member Speakers and Themes for Dialogues:

[DONE] Session 1 (February 14, 2025):
“Enhancing the Efficiency of Healthcare and Elderly Care Services and Improving Productivity through ICT”
Speaker: Shinsuke Muto (Board Member, HGPI)

Session 2 (June 27, 2025):
“Japan’s Healthcare Costs and the Sustainability of Universal Health Coverage”
Speaker: Yusuke Tsugawa (Board Member, HGPI)

Session 3 (October 7, 2025):
“Reforming the Social Security System and Ensuring Intergenerational Equity”
Speaker: Kohei Onozaki (Board Member, HGPI)

Session 4 (November 11, 2025):
“Promoting Diverse Employment and Social Participation to Achieve an Inclusive Society”
Speaker: Satoko Hotta (Board Member, HGPI)

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