Japan can lead the world in making preventive health pay

A medical worker administers the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Tokyo in June 2021. | Pool / via REUTERS

By David Reddy — Go Takahashi
Special to the Japan Times

Sep 29, 2026

On Oct. 1, the world marks the International Day of Older Persons, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges of longer lives.

Few countries face that challenge more directly than Japan, which has the world’s fastest-aging population. More than half of its population is already over 50, and its workforce is aging, too. This demographic shift makes rethinking economic priorities essential.

Maintaining the health and productivity of adults as they age is a central part of this. Preventive health measures must therefore become a key priority for Japanese leaders as the old-age dependency ratio surpasses 50%.

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