In a Kyodo News article titled “Reflecting the Voices of Persons with Dementia and Their Families in Dementia Research: Government Promotion Based on the Basic Act, Including Venues for Dialogue,” carried by Shizuoka Shimbun, Okinawa Times, and other outlets on August 17, 2026, comments by Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Research Fellow Yoshiki Niimi (Specially Appointed Associate Professor, the University of Tokyo) and HGPI Senior Manager Mr. Shunichiro Kurita were featured.

The article describes how the concept of Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), which has advanced first in cancer and intractable disease research, is gaining importance in dementia research as well, given the expected increase in the number of patients due to an aging population. It notes that Japan’s Comprehensive Strategy for Dementia Policy, formulated in 2024, calls for reflecting the views of persons with dementia and their families in government-supported and government-conducted research, and it introduces an online system being developed by Dr. Niimi to facilitate dialogue between researchers and persons with dementia and their families. The article also cites a survey by the Dementia Association of Japan showing that while willingness to participate in research is high, only a small share of respondents had actual experience being involved from the planning stage.

In the article, Mr. Kurita pointed to overseas initiatives in which persons with dementia themselves choose how they wish to be supported by family members or friends as they participate and formulate their views, and he noted the need for a flexible approach that reflects the characteristics of dementia. He also observed that the themes on which the views of persons with dementia are needed extend beyond medication to include reducing difficulties in caregiving and daily life, and he emphasized the importance of broadening the scope for participation, accumulating examples of PPI in practice, and connecting these efforts to greater public awareness.