ASEAN ageing population to bring business opportunities in elderly care, health services

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 -- The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) together with the ASEAN Committee in Tokyo (ACT), which consists of the ASEAN Ambassadors to Japan, and the ASEAN Secretariat recently organised the ASEAN 52nd Anniversary Symposium in Tokyo.

The Symposium brought together, 180 Japanese businesspersons and policymakers as well as ASEAN Ambassadors to Japan, to discuss the emerging challenges and opportunities around the ageing population in ASEAN.

At a panel discussion, Dr Keiichiro Oizumi, professor at the Asia University, and Eitaro Kojima, Director of the Asia and Oceania Division, Oversea Research Department of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) discussed the current ageing population in ASEAN and concrete business opportunities for Japanese companies to invest in related services such as elderly care and health services.

“AJC will continue to work together with the ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN secretariat to address emerging issues in ASEAN, including through organising policy dialogues with Japanese stakeholders,” said AJC secretary-general, Masataka Fujita.

ASEAN is facing rapid population ageing as it is estimated that all ASEAN countries will become ageing society (more than seven per cent of the population is 65 years old or older) in 20 years.

Singapore and Thailand have already reached the aging society, whereby in 2030, more than 70 million people in ASEAN are projected to be older than 65 years old, according to a statement.

While the population ageing poses a number of critical social issues in ASEAN, it also brings business opportunities with increasing demands for new services to support the active ageing of elderly population in the region.

AJC is an intergovernmental organisation established by the ASEAN Member States and Japan, promoting trade, investment, tourism as well as people-to-people exchanges between the ASEAN Member States and Japan. More information at https://www.asean.or.jp/en.

-- BERNAMA