特集2：アジア社会の少子高齢化と社会保障制度
アジアの高齢化と日本の地域福祉
2006 年 52 巻 2 号 p. 79-94
詳細
2006 年 52 巻 2 号 p. 79-94
Many Asian countries have rapidly aging populations. While Asian governments are trying their best to address this issue, the present social and economic conditions do not allow them to adopt either the European model (high welfare levels with high contribution levels) or the US model (market-based, emphasizing self-responsibility) of social welfare for the elderly. The family and community, two traditional sources of support for the elderly under inadequate formal insurance programs, are also losing their functions as society modernizes rapidly. Where, then, should the Asian elderly look for support for their old age? The present paper proposes that the Japanese social welfare policies based on communities may well be a realistic option for many Asian developing countries.
The Japanese model, while adopting US and British concepts and practices after World War II, has evolved over the past 30 years in such a way that it is no longer identical to the Western model. The Social Welfare Law of 2000 clearly states as its objective that communities should be the focal point of action for welfare to be realized. How it is realized with respect to the elderly is laid out by the Public Long-Term Care Insurance (PLTCI) enacted in 1997 and put into practice in 2000.
Unlike other national insurance programs, the PLTCI is administered by the local government, and is characterized by the community and institutional care services to the elderly over 65, with the participation of formal and informal organizations such as the local government, the semi-public regional welfare association, non-governmental organizations, community associations as well as private businesses.
This approach, while unintended, resembles the multi-pillar policy that World Bank now proposes. While the Japanese welfare system is difficult to adopt as it is, the emphasis on the idea of community-centered welfare and formal and informal practices that buttress the idea may prove quite informative to many Asian developing countries that face the rapid aging of their population.
