The Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Dementia Project has presented a compilation of information packet for local government officials titled, “Dementia Policies for Our City: Taking the First Step in Promoting Future Measures for Dementia.” For our initial release, we are publishing our first set of recommendations as a preliminary online version. The second set will be presented in summer 2025 and we also plan to distribute a printed version of our recommendations to local governments across Japan.

The National Basic Plan for the Promotion of Policies on Dementia was formulated in accordance with the Basic Act on Dementia to Promote an Inclusive Society and was approved by Cabinet Decision in December 2024. That plan obligates prefectures and municipalities to endeavor to formulate their own plans for dementia, and they are likely to do so in the future. We anticipate that almost all local governments will formulate these plans and we look forward to seeing how each one expresses its individuality in the content of its plan.

To help that process, HGPI prepared these recommendations to provide local government officials with the information they need to develop local plans for the promotion of policies on dementia and to promote dementia measures after those plans are implemented. The recommendations are based on research conducted by HGPI in FY2024 through efforts that included conducting surveys and interviews, and hosting discussions in model regions. Based on our belief that respecting the autonomy of local governments will be vital when formulating plans and measures for dementia, rather than describing the plans and measures HGPI views as necessary, our recommendations are centered on the sorts of processes and key points we would like to see implemented or addressed.

We hope that officials who read these recommendations can sympathize with and refer to other municipalities and think, “Other municipalities face issues that are similar to ours, so we should consult our neighbors,” or “That’s an interesting approach.” We would also like them to think, “Maybe we can incorporate this idea,” or “Here’s a place we can start our efforts,” and to then take concrete action.

We express our sincere gratitude to all the local governments and other stakeholders that cooperated in our research. Please look forward to the release of our second compilation in summer 2025.

*A PDF of the information packet can be downloaded at the link below. Please note that this document is in Japanese only.