International Longevity Centre Global Alliance - a multinational consortium consisting of member organizations.

7th January 2022

ILC-Japan is running a research project, aiming to build a community development model through collaboration between businesses and government.

As part of a research project by ILC-Japan, the Hachioji City Government in Tokyo has commissioned JTB (the largest travel agency in Japan) to coordinate local resources, aiming to build a community development system that enables active ageing.

JTB, leveraging its expertise in the publication of popular travel guides, is currently creating a community magazine that looks like a travel guide, which will be distributed to older adults in the community.

The magazine will provide older people with information, not only on wonderful places to visit in the community, encouraging them to enjoy going out and preventing them from needing care, but also on places they can contact if they have problems in everyday life.

The magazine is scheduled to be available in March 2022 and will be publsihed on ILC-Japan’s website.

In Japan, community support coordinators called “seikatsu-shien coordinators” have been assigned in each municipality since 2017 under the long term care insurance system, helping frail older adults to maintain/improve their function and stay productive while effectively using various local resources. While health, care, and welfare professionals normally play this role, older adults also use various goods and services on the market in addition to welfare services and mutual support. Yet, few health and welfare professionals are used to working with businesses.

As part of the initiatives to address this challenge, the Hachioji City Government in Tokyo has become the first municipality in Japan to commission the coordinator’s role to a company, JTB (the largest travel agency in the country), based on ILC-Japan’s suggestion.

Seeing daily life as micro-tourism, JTB has been approaching local stores and businesses, coordinating them to make them useful as resources, and working with supporters to build a system that provides coordinated resources to older adults.

JTB, leveraging its expertise in publication of popular travel guides, is currently creating a community magazine that looks like a travel guide. The magazine will provide seniors with information not only on wonderful places to visit in the community, encouraging them to enjoy going out and preventing them from needing care, but also on places they can contact if they have problems in everyday life.

The magazine is scheduled to be available in March 2022 and be introduced on ILC-Japan’s website.