(Report) Health Policy Summit 2014 On the Frontier of the Future for Japan and the World

date : 6/18/2014

Tags: Health Policy Summit, Other activities

(Report) Health Policy Summit 2014 On the Frontier of the Future for Japan and the World

HGPI hosts a summit every year gathering leaders from many different sectors to discuss the most significant issue of health and medical policy of the year. On January 18th 2014, HGPI hosted the “Health Policy Summit 2014 Frontier for Japan and the world”.

With the 2013 House of Councillors election putting an end to the so-called “twisted Diet” and a period of stable government under the Liberal Democratic Party and its allies now set for the foreseeable future, health and healthcare policy in Japan once again stand at a major turning point. The Abe administration released its Healthcare and Medical Strategy in June 2013; however, neither the case for prioritizing these issues nor the practical details of any specific measures have been made clear to the public. Moreover, importance has been attached to the globalization of healthcare and the development of a new model of international cooperation is anticipated, but how Japan will position itself in this global context remains unclear.

At this year’s Summit, in addition to a comprehensive discussion about the health and healthcare policy of the current administration, we attempted to define Japan’s current standing in the international community in the field of healthcare in order to clarify the frontier toward which stakeholder can advance in order to build a strong future for Japan.

■Summary

Session 1　Key Points of the Abe Administration’s Health Policy

-Promoting the differentiation and linkage of healthcare functions, creating industries that extend healthy life years, such as health management and prevention services, and promoting R&D in the medical sector

-Continued discussions on the extent of insurance coverage, review of the cost effectiveness of existing drugs and advanced medicine, and medical reforms utilizing big data

Session 2　Healthcare as a Driver of Economic Growth

-Enhancing the overall capacity of the healthcare field through drug development, collecting and communicating good examples of local government and private sector enterprises, creating and utilizing high-quality datasets, and fostering young entrepreneurs

Session 3　Healthcare Innovation & Global Contribution: Japan’s Role in the International Community

-Improving existing medical technologies, supporting the development of the universal health coverage (UHC) scheme, and promoting R&D of therapeutic drugs and vaccines through the global public-private partnerships (PPP).

Session 4　On The Frontier of Japan’s Future

-Enhancing the medical and healthcare system in regard to current conditions of communities, and developing policies as a basis for competing on equal terms with overseas markets

-Always searching for and making changes and achieving solid results from what has been carried out

As discussed in this session, effective strategies require a broad, long-term vision and HGPI will continue to be a sharing platform for the most effective strategies while supporting and encouraging stakeholders to take the necessary steps toward real progress.

■Program

10:00-10:20 Opening Remarks

-Kiyoshi Kurokawa (Chairman, Health and Global Policy Institute)

10:20-11:50 Session 1　
Key Points of the Abe Administration’s Health Policy

Given the potential long-term stability of the present administration, does its health policy represent the best available options for the country and the optimal allocation of limited financial resources? This session will involve a comprehensive discussion of the key points for success or failure, and the major challenges in promoting these measures.

-Yuuji Kanda (Councilor for Health Insurance, Health Policy, and Coordination between Health Care and Long-term Care, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

-Koji Shinkawa (Budget Examiner for Health, Labour and Welfare, Budget Bureau, Ministry of Finance)

-Takeo Sekihara (Board Member, Japan Cancer Society)

-Ryozo Nagai (President, Jichi Medical University; Member of the National Council on Social Security System Reform)

-Toshio Miyata (Executive Director, Health and Global Policy Institute) (Moderator)

12:10-13:30 Session 2 (Lunch)　
Healthcare as a Driver of Economic Growth

According to the government’s Health & Healthcare Strategy, the healthcare field is to be promoted as a strategic industry, and in addition to contributing to economic growth, the aim is for the solutions Japan has pioneered to be disseminated worldwide to provide a new model for coping with a super-aging society. In addition, creation of a Japanese NIH as a focal point for health and medical research, globalization of healthcare, exploitation of stem cell technology including iPS cells, and use of ICT in the health and medical field have all been identified as priority issues, but what are the key factors in promoting these areas in practical terms? Moreover, in what specific ways, both directly and indirectly, can the health and healthcare field contribute to economic growth? This session will focus on discussion of the ideal approaches to implementing and promoting these measures.

-Mitsuru Izumo (President, euglena Co., Ltd)

-Yuji Kuroiwa (Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture)

-Rami Suzuki (Group Officer, Executive Director of Eisai Business Development, Eisai Co., Ltd.)

-Yutaka Hishiyama (Councillor, Cabinet Secretariat)

-Kohei Onozaki (Former director general of the Health and Global Policy Institute) (Moderator)

13:45-15:05 Session 3 【GHIT Fund Sponsored Session】

Healthcare Innovation & Global Contribution: Japan’s Role in the International Community

The global expansion of healthcare is a priority in the government’s Health & Healthcare Strategy. Health also figures prominently in Japan’s new “soft diplomacy” strategy. By building mutually beneficial relationships across stakeholders and countries in the health field, Japan can diversify its economic and diplomatic means for international cooperation, and contribute to positive health outcomes for partner countries. In what areas can Japan best contribute, through what types of innovative action, and what represents the ideal model for international cooperation? In this session, we will seek to clarify how and what types of “push” and “pull” strategies can be used to increase Japan’s contribution of its innovations in a global context.

-Eriko Asai (Managing Director, Government Affairs and Policy, GE Japan)

-Shiro Konuma (Director, Global Health Policy Division, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

-BT Slingsby (CEO, Global Health Innovative Technology Fund)

-Steve Morrison (Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center, CSIS)

-Alex Ross (Director, WHO Centre for Health Development) (Moderator)

15:20-16:40 Session 4
On The Frontier of Japan’s Future

Discussion thus far has made it clear the healthcare issues that Japan faces and the role it must play in the international community. In this session, in summing up the day’s discussions, we will ask where the frontier lies that each stakeholder can advance towards right now in order to open up a new future for Japan. Through discussion with panelists active in various fields, we hope to clarify where these frontiers lie.

-Hiromitsu Tazawa (Senior Executive officer, Miraca Holdings Inc.)

-Yasuchika Hasegawa(President & CEO, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited)

-Hirofumi Hirano (Chief Executive Officer–Japan, KKR Japan Limited)

-Atsuko Muraki (Vice Minister, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare)

-Tadayuki Tamai (Assistant managing editor & Editorial Writer, Yomiuri Shimbun) (Moderator)

16:40-16:50 Closing Remarks

-Kiyoshi Kurokawa (Chairman, Health and Global Policy Institute)

■Secretariat

Health and Global Policy Institute

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Email: info@hgpi.org