Migration & Demographic Challenges

Demography and globalization are reshaping Asia. Japan has the most rapidly aging society of any major country, and the way it is adapting to this shift offers lessons for others around the world. Asia Pacific countries’ reactions to the growing movement of people are also driving important changes in the region. In response, JCIE undertakes various projects that promote the sharing of knowledge and experience to help countries tackle the challenges facing aging societies.  We also examine how Japan can adopt a sound immigration policy that encourages a more welcoming, multicultural society.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

Related Activities


WEBINAR | Public Symposium Towards a Safer Transnational Migration—Bringing Together Multiple Stakeholders' Perspectives

October 13, 2023 | Online (Zoom webinar)

JCIE will hold an online public symposium, ” Towards a Safer Transnational Migration: Bringing in Migrants’ Perspectives,” to enhance information access for foreign migrants and promote accountability…


ROUNDTABLE | A Discussion on the Kanagawa Healthcare New Frontier, Age-Friendly Communities,and Public-Private Engagement to Achieve the SDGs

July 18, 2023 | New York City

As part of our new US-Japan Program on Healthy and Resilient Aging, JCIE hosted a discussion between Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa and a group of experts in the fields of global health, aging, and su…


2023 US-Japan Healthy and Resilient Aging Exchange

May 21–27, 2023 | Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture

JCIE brought community leaders from Columbus, Ohio—a leader in age-friendly community-building in the United States—to meet with counterparts in Tokyo and in various age-friendly cities in Kanagawa Pr…


JCIE Staff Conduct Site Visit to Aging-Related Organizations in South Korea

March 21–24, 2023 | Busan and Hadong, South Korea

Members of the aging program team from JCIE traveled to South Korea for a series of site visits and meetings in Busan and the rural province of Hadong, where the team learned how the rapid declining b…


2023 US Young Political Leaders 50th Anniversary Delegation to Japan

January 21–28, 2023 | Tokyo, Nagano

Celebrating 50 years of partnership between JCIE and the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL), a delegation of 5 US Young Political Leaders traveled to Japan to meet with a variety of p…


2022 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation Award Ceremony

November 8, 2022 | Tokyo and Online

The winners of the 2021 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation have been announced!


AHWIN Forum on Harnessing the Power of Technology for Healthy Aging in Asia

November 8, 2022 | Tokyo & Online

The 2022 AHWIN Forum focused on regional efforts to translate data and innovations into better policies, products, and programs for healthy aging and care for older persons, and discussed best practic…


Winners of 2022 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation Announced

September 29, 2022 | Online

The winners of the 2021 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation have been announced!


SYMPOSIUM | New Strategies for Japan to Become a Country of Choice

February 14, 2022 | Online

As part of JCIE’s Roundtable on Japan’s Migration Policy Program JCIE is hosting a public symposium to discuss what is needed to make Japan a “country of choice” for foreigners seeking employment.


4th Networking Conference for the Supporting Youths of Diverse Roots and an Inclusive Society (SYDRIS) Initiative

September 8, 2021 | Online

JCIE held the 4th Networking Conference, as part of the SYDRIS Initiative, to explore what kind of collaboration should be established with government and civil society organizations (CSOs) in order t…


Why Oral Health Matters for an Aging Asia—Addressing Oral Health in the Context of Healthy Longevity

September 7, 2021 | Online

JCIE and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) co-hosted a webinar on the importance of oral health when it comes to healthy longevity.


3rd Lunch Webinar for Supporting Youths of Diverse Roots and an Inclusive Society (SYDRIS) Initiative

September 2, 2021 | Online

JCIE co-hosted a third SYDRIS-100 SEED Lunch Webinar on multicultural coexistence to discuss current situation and challenges faced by teenagers in Japan with diverse roots.


1st General Meeting for the Humanitarian Aid to Marginalized Immigrants (HAMIS) Project

August 3, 2021 | Online

The first General Meeting of the Humanitarian Aid for Marginalized Immigrants (HAMIS) took place, a project launched by JCIE in partnership with the Japan Platform (JPF) to provide grants utilizing fu…


Winners of 2021 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation Announced

July 30, 2021 | Online

The winners of the 2021 Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation have been announced!


Webinar | Building Dementia-Friendly Communities in Asia Pacific

March 24, 2021 | Online

As we face an era of global aging, the number of people living with dementia is projected to double by 2040, and the majority will be living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Such regions h…

RELATED PUBLICATIONS & MEDIA COVERAGE


AHWIN Papers No. 4: Disaster Preparedness for Aging Populations—Lessons from Japan

Dr. Hiroko Okuda and Dr. Jun Tomio

February 2024

The fourth publication in the “AHWIN Papers” series examines Japan’s actions to improve disaster preparedness to better safeguard the country’s aging population.


Japan Elderly Care Services Drawing Interest from Thailand, Other Asian Nations

Etsuo Kono

February 8, 2024

“In early November, three older people with dementia were cleaning a park in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. A group of nine visitors from Thailand, Vietnam, China and Singapore observed the way the th…


Japan as an “Immigrant Nation”: The Need for Frankness on Recent Policy Changes

Toshihiro Menju

September 21, 2023

“At a recent event…, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio told attendees that, ‘we must imagine a society in which we can live together with foreigners’ in light of Japan’s demographic decline. The prime mini…


Over 23,000 Complaints Received from Foreign Technical Trainees in Japan

December 12, 2022

“An organization that supports foreign technical trainees in Japan says it received more than 23,000 complaints in fiscal 2021. This comes amid reports about various problems, such as trainees not bei…


Press Briefing on Population Decline and Immigration Policy—Making Japan a Popular Destination for Immigration

January 23, 2023

Toshihiro Menju speaks at the Foreign Press Center of Japan on the policy measures Japan should adopt to attract and support foreign residents as a way to address population aging.


AHWIN Papers No. 3: The Path to Community-Based Integrated Care

Tomoko Sakota

April 2022

The third publication in the “AHWIN Papers” series covers Japan’s transition to community-based integrated care to address the challenges of its older population.


Japan Looks to Accept More Foreigners in Key Policy Shift

Reporting by Ami Miyazaki and Kantaro Komiya, Writing by Chang-Ran Kim

November 18, 2021

Toshihiro Menju, managing director of JCIE/Japan, comments on Japan’s need to welcome foreign workers as it grapples with demographic change in this Reuter’s article.


Leveraging Technology for the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing: Experiences of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

May 2021

This report is on the utilization of technology and effective policy interventions to support older persons in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. It was published by the United Nations Economic…


AHWIN Papers No. 2: The Impact and Future of Japan’s 8020 Campaign

Dr. Midori Tsuneishi and Dr. Tamotsu Sato

April 2021

The second publication in the “AHWIN Papers” series covers Japan’s nationwide campaign to help people retain more teeth into their later years, the success of which offers an important model for promo…


AHWIN Papers | Responding to the Needs of Older Persons During a Pandemic

Prepared by Kim Gould Ashizawa and Stephen McHugh

June 2020

The inaugural AHWIN Paper draws on an online panel discussion that explored what policy lessons can be learned from the experiences of the United States, Japan, and Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandem…


Japan May Allow Immigration of Hong Kong Financial Sector, Specialized Workers

Palash Gosh

June 12, 2020

Article on Japan potentially allowing immigration of Hong Kong financial sector workers. Features quotes from Toshihiro Menju, Managing Director and Chief Program Officer at JCIE


Opening the Door to Incoming Workers

Yuko Aizawa

Feb 27, 2019

An analysis of the rise in non-Japanese residents and workers in Japan, including a breakdown of how various nationalities are represented and what sectors they tend to join in the workforce.


Japan’s Historic Immigration Reform: A Work in Progress

Toshihiro Menju

Feb 6, 2019

Toshihiro Menju analyzes the recent, controversial new reforms and their implications for Japanese immigration policy and the future of Japanese society.


Japan Eases Immigration Restrictions to Fill Chronic Care Worker Shortage

Sally Herships

October 18, 2018

In the past, Japan allowed mostly highly skilled professionals in the country. Now, due to severe labor shortages, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has ordered the government to look into new policies that w…


Why Japan Is Paying Single Mothers to Move to the Countryside

Susie Armitage

June 6, 2018

Japan’s population is projected to shrink by a third by 2065. With small towns getting smaller, local governments are looking for creative ways to bring in new people.