From the viewpoint of social gerontologists are well-informed on social policies for the elderly in the advanced countries of Western Europe and North America, the contents of this Policy Statement are not very new. Moreover, the goals are described in very abstract terms. Therefore, I shall refrain from citing any sections of the Policy Statement in this paper.
It should be stressed, however, that in spite of the lack of substantiality in its contents, the Statement played a very important role in the development of social policies for the elderly in Japan. Actually, even before its formal adoption, or while it was in the process of formation, it exerted strong impact on the policies of various national government bodies.
(2) Enactment of the Fundamental Law on Policies for Aging Society
In November 1995, approximately ten years after the promulgation of the Policy Statement on Society of Longevity, the Fundamental Law on Policies for Aging Society was enacted by the National Diet. The purpose of this law is to establish a solider and more powerful basis for national policies and programs for the aging society than the Policy Statement of 1986, which was only a kind of administrative guideline set by the National Government, though actually it exerted a much stonger impact than expected.
In accordance with the law, in July 1996, the National Cabinet adopted the Policy Statement on Aging Society which is to replace the former one on Society of Longevity promulgated ten years ago (refer to Appendix A). Because the new Policy Statement is also written in abstract terms, and its contents are not very new for social gerontologists in industrialized countries, I shall again refrain from citing any parts of the Statement.
(3) Programs Started since 1980
a) Enactment of the Law for Health and Medical Services for the Elderly
In 1982, the Law for Health and Medical Services for the Elderly was enacted by the National Diet and put into practice early in 1983. This law was based on the chapter on health and medical services of the Law for the Welfare of the Elderly of 1963. It should be emphasized that the previous programs were substantially enlarged in many respects. One of the most significant revisions was the lowering of the age limit for health checks and preventive services; namely, the age limit was lowered from 60 to 40. According to the Law, every local government is required to give health check services regularly to all citizens aged 40 and over (for uterine and breast cancer, those aged 30 and over are covered). The health check services are given with only a moderate fee or free of charge. It can be said that this law intends to improve the health of our senior citizens in the next century.
