On March 11, 2026, Global Coalition on Aging (GCOA) and Asia-Pacific Coalition for Healthy Aging and Adult Immunization (AP-CHAAI), in collaboration with Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), hosted a roundtable on healthy longevity and adult immunization at the International House of Japan in Tokyo.

Many countries across the Asia-Pacific are rapidly aging, and this is particularly evident in Japan, where nearly half of the population is now over the age of 50. As the population ages, the burden of social security, including healthcare and long-term care, continues to grow, while creating an environment in which the working-age population can stay healthy and remain in the workforce longer is becoming a key priority for achieving both healthcare cost containment and economic growth.

To this end, expanding the use of adult vaccines is expected to play an important role. Research has shown that adult vaccination not only prevents infectious diseases, but can also help prevent the progression of chronic diseases, reduce overall mortality, improve productivity, and lower healthcare expenditure. Despite these potential benefits, however, adult vaccines often receive less systematic support than pediatric vaccines. In Japan, for example, most adult vaccines are classified as “Category B,” meaning that vaccination is voluntary and public funding is relatively limited.

As Japan’s super-aging society continues to advance and healthcare and long-term care needs become more diverse, it will be increasingly important to reconsider the role of adult vaccines and to explore policy measures that can promote higher uptake. At the same time, as populations age across the Asia-Pacific region, there is growing value in sharing lessons from Japan and from the experiences of other countries. Against this backdrop, this symposium focused on adult vaccination and the future of immunization policy, bringing together experts from Japan and abroad to examine these issues from health, ethical, economic, and healthcare system sustainability perspectives.

Key Discussion Points

• Shifting the global aging narrative from longer life to healthier longevity, linking demographic change to economic growth through the silver economy
• Building on the 20th-century public health advances that drove longevity (sanitation, antibiotics, and childhood immunization), adult immunization should now be positioned as a core component of healthy longevity, serving simultaneously as a health, social security, economic, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) measure
• Adopting a life-course approach to immunization, moving beyond childhood-focused programs to ensure vaccine coverage across all age groups
• Japan’s landmark revision of its National Immunization Plan — the first in eleven years — and the development of a science-based framework tailored to a super-aging society
• Combating vaccine misinformation and building clear, evidence-based communication strategies to protect public trust and sustain vaccine uptake
• Strengthening surveillance and data systems to support robust monitoring, evaluation, and evidence-based policymaking for adult immunization
• Demonstrating the return on investment of adult vaccination by quantifying avoided hospitalizations, long-term care costs, and gains from maintaining older adults’ workforce participation
• Integrating adult vaccination into chronic disease management and primary care, supported by digital tools and behavioral incentives to improve uptake
• Ensuring equitable access by strengthening local government capacity, backed by central government funding and technical support
• Building Asia-Pacific and global collaboration to share lessons, close financing gaps, and scale adult immunization programs across rapidly aging societies
• Engaging multi-sector actors such as governments, employers, community leaders, and financial institutions to move healthy aging initiatives from policy to practice

[Event Overview]

• Date & Time: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 16:00-18:00 JST
• Format: In-person (Invitation-only)
• Venue: International House of Japan (5-11-16 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo)
• Language: Japanese and English (with simultaneous interpretation)
• Co-Host: Global Coalition on Aging
  Asia-Pacific Coalition for Health Aging and Adult Immunization
• In collaboration with: Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)

[Program] (Titles omitted, no particular order)

16:00-16:15	Welcome and Introduction
	Mike Hodin (CEO, Global Coalition on Aging)
	Ryoji Noritake (Chair, Health and Global Policy Institute)
16:15-16:20	Video Message “The Rise of the Silver Economy: Preventive Health, Healthy Aging, and Growth”
	Ian Barr (Deputy Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza / Steering Committee Member, AP-CHAAI) Bertrand Gruss (Deputy Division Chief, World Economic Studies, International Monetary Fund (IMF))
16:20 -16:35	Keynote Presentation “Issues and Outlook for the Future of Adult Vaccines”
	Hitoshi Oshitani (Professor, Department of Virology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine)
16:35-16:45	Case Study “Adult Vaccine Policy at the Municipal-level”
	Warren Heppolette (Director of Prevention Demonstrator, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, UK) Gillian McLauchlan (Director of Public Health Commissioning & Protection, Salford City Council, UK)
16:45-17:55	Panel Discussion “Adapting Vaccine Policies for Super-Aging Societies”
	Panelists: Satoshi Iwata (Chairman, Expert Council on Promotion of Vaccination) Motoi Suzuki (Director, Infectious Disease Surveillance Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan Institute for Health Security) Manabu Sumi (Director-General, Department of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare) * Lotte Steuten (Deputy Chief Executive, Office for Health Economics (OHE)) Yee -Chun Chen (Director, Distinguished Investigator, National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan/ Steering Committee Member, AP-CHAAI) Emiko Masaki (Principal Health Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB)) * On the day of the meeting, Manabu Sumi was represented by Akihisa Maeda, Director, Vaccination Division, Department of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Moderators: Mike Hodin (CEO, Global Coalition on Aging) Ryoji Noritake (Chair, Health and Global Policy Institute)
17:55-18:00	Closing Remarks
	Hirobumi Niki (Member, House of Representatives)

(Photographed by: Kazunori Izawa)