January 2016

1. General remarks

ASEAN countries are facing new challenges that need to be addressed urgently such as a rapidly aging society and an increase in non-infectious diseases, including lifestyle-related diseases, in addition to the existing challenges such as infectious diseases, maternal and child health, poor nutrition, and weak healthcare systems. The serious gap in healthcare between the ASEAN 6 (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) and the CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam) also remains as a challenge.

The joint declaration “ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together,” which was adopted at the ASEAN Summit held in November 2015, specifies the promotion of “strong healthcare” as one of ASEAN’s objectives. ASEAN wants to achieve this objective by developing a medical industry that can provide affordable and quality healthcare. In addition, ASEAN 2025 outlines its strategic measures as follows: to continue opening up the private healthcare market and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) investments; to further harmonize standards and conformance in healthcare products and services; to promote sectors with high-growth potential such as health tourism and e-healthcare services; to promote strong healthcare systems; to further facilitate the mobility of healthcare professionals; to enhance further the development of ASEAN regulatory framework on traditional medicines and health supplements; and to continue to develop new products to further facilitate trade in healthcare products.

2. Japan’s existing cooperation in the healthcare sector

(1) Japan-ASEAN Health Initiative

Morbidity due to lifestyle-related diseases caused by dietary changes that have been brought about through economic development has become a problem in ASEAN countries. In addition, the disparity in quality of healthcare between public hospitals and private hospitals, as well as between cities and rural areas is increasing.

At the 17th Japan-ASEAN Summit held in November 2014, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated Japan’s aim to offer, as part of the “Japan-ASEAN Health Initiative”, human resource training to 8,000 persons over five years towards promoting healthy lifestyles, preventing diseases and raising healthcare standards.

The “Japan-ASEAN Health Forum” was held in Jakarta, Indonesia in August 2015 as one of the cooperation projects based on the said initiative. The project, supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF), was to offer a platform for sharing expertise and experience gained from Japan’s health policies as well as from cooperation projects underway in various ASEAN countries on countermeasures to lifestyle-related diseases. At the forum, Japan explained what measures it took to deal with lifestyle-related diseases, namely health checkups and cancer screening, and introduced examples from its cooperation projects with various ASEAN countries.

(2) ASEAN-Japan Active Aging Regional Conference (AARC)

ASEAN countries are projected to become an “aged society” at the same or more rapid rate as that experienced by Japan. For example, while the transition from an aging society (more than 7 per cent of the population is aged 65 years old or above) to an aged society (more than 14 per cent) took 24 years for Japan, ASEAN countries are projected to shift faster than Japan: Vietnam in 15 years, Indonesia in 17 years, Lao PDR in 19 years and Myanmar in 20 years.

The 1st ASEAN-Japan Active Aging Regional Conference (AARC) was held in June 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia as one of the cooperation projects dealing with aging societies in the ASEAN region. The 2nd AARC was held in Koh Samui island in Thailand in August 2015, supported by the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).

The second conference discussed the following topics; disease prevention and health promotion among the elderly as part of active aging; elderly care and development of human resources; and elderly-specific care, i.e. dementia. The proposal that was compiled at the end of the meetings identified the benefits to be gained from setting objectives and indicators towards achieving active aging.

3. Direction of Future Cooperation

In September 2015, Japan formulated the “Basic Design for Peace and Health” as a policy specifically targeting issues in the healthcare sector. The policy objectives include: 1. realizing a society resilient to public health emergencies and disasters; 2. establishing seamless utilization of essential health and medical services throughout the life course (achieving Universal Health Coverage); and 3. making effective use of Japan’s expertise, technologies, medicine, medical devices and services in the global arena.

While the Basic Design addresses global health issues, it aims to promote cooperation in healthcare towards achieving UHC (Universal Health Coverage) in the Southeast Asian region, beginning with countries in the Mekong area, by emphasizing policies specific to the region. To this end, it aims to improve nutrition and strengthen countermeasures dealing with infections and non-infectious diseases while paying attention to aging and the diversification of healthcare needs.

Japan will continue to cooperate with ASEAN in working with national governments and relevant organizations on healthcare issues in the region while taking into account the specific action points contained in the Basic Design as well as those outlined in the ASEAN 2025.