BioScience Trends. 2025;19(6):607-618. (DOI: 10.5582/bst.2025.01309)

Dementia strategies in an aging society: Policies, care, and global insights from the Japanese experience

Deng Y, Ma YN, Yamauchi K, Karako K, Song PP

Aging of the population has become a critical challenge globally. The proportion of individuals age 60 years and older is projected to increase from 12% in 2015 to 22% by 2050, representing more than 2.1 billion older adults globally. This demographic transition is advancing particularly rapidly in Japan, which has become the first nation to become a "super-aged society". Projections indicate that by 2060, the number of older adults living with dementia will reach approximately 6.45 million (more than 17% of the elderly population), making it one of the country's most urgent health and social care challenges. Japan has developed a comprehensive response system that integrates medical, community, and family-based care. Key initiatives include a national dementia strategy, mechanisms for early screening and diagnosis, the establishment of memory clinics, and the implementation of the community-based integrated care system, which emphasizes coordination between healthcare and long-term care services. These measures have alleviated part of the burden on patients and families while enhancing social awareness of dementia and inclusion of those with that condition. Nevertheless, Japan continues to face significant structural challenges, such as severe shortages of healthcare personnel and professional caregivers, increasing fiscal pressure on long-term care financing, insufficient dissemination of innovative therapies and digital diagnostic tools, and disparities in social support between urban and rural areas. Cross-national comparisons indicate that Japan's experience offers valuable lessons for other rapidly aging societies, particularly in policy design, the integration of community-based care, and the promotion of a dementia-inclusive society. Summarizing and adapting Japan's approaches may therefore provide globally applicable strategies to build sustainable and equitable systems for dementia prevention, management, and care.

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