surance systems and the improvement of medical care provision systems, will be implemented on a medium to long-term basis. This will facilitate the optimization of medical expenses including medical care expenditure for the elderly and justify intergenerational burdens and a balance between benefits and burdens within and among different insurance systems.
b. Securing long-term care expenses through social solidarity In order to establish a mechanism, with which necessary financial resources can be secured toward the future based on the principle of solidarity between the elderly and working people through extensive understanding and cooperation among the people, positive efforts will be made to establish a new long-term care system for the elderly, incorporating adequate public money and social insurance systems.
(5) Utilizing private service providers
To meet the increasing and diversifying demand for health and welfare services as well as to provide such services more efficiently, private service providers will be used, regulations on care service providers will be eased, measures to foster private service providers, including loan systems, will be taken with the aim of expanding long-term care related markets and employment.
In order to ensure service quality, service evaluation systems will be established.
(6) Promoting comprehensive measures to support child care
To help create an environment where people can raise their children, comprehensive measures to support child care, such as the improvement of child care services and mother-and-child health and medical care systems, will be implemented systematically. In doing so, five-year programs, such as emergency child care services, will be put into practice and sound development of private child care services will be provided through market mechanisms.
3. Learning and Social Involvement
In an aging society where people's values increasingly diversify, it is vital to provide people with opportunities to seek fulfillment in their mind and daily life and continuously learn new knowledge and technology. It is our aim to create a lifelong learning system in which people can freely choose their learning opportunities and their efforts can be appropriately evaluated.
