Mr./Madam Chairperson, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen:

I am very honored to have the opportunity to address this World Assembly, a conference of special importance to people of all ages. Before all else, on behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to express my thanks to all those who have worked hard to prepare for this conference.

The First World Assembly on Ageing held in Vienna in 1982 was the starting point of the involvement of the international community in the problems of ageing. Since Vienna, the international community has pursued various initiatives for coping with the challenges of ageing. It is significant indeed that we are gathered here at this conference to review the results of the first Assembly, as well as to adopt a revised plan of action, in the context of creating a society for all ages.

Today, I would like to comment on such themes as social participation by older persons, intergenerational solidarity, and care for older persons, and then to briefly describe the situation in Japan.

Mr./Madam Chairperson,

First, I would like to emphasize the importance of promoting social participation by older persons through work and volunteer activities. These activities are very valuable in terms of both supporting the self-fulfillment, dignity, and independence of older persons and developing the vitality of our societies.

Older persons in Japan retain a very strong motivation to work. As a matter of fact, approximately 50 percent of all people in their 60s are working. Given this strong motivation to work among older persons, we are making strong efforts to create a future society in which all persons can work regardless of age.

The second issue I would like to touch on is intergenerational solidarity. Our efforts for building a society for all ages are truly predicated on solidarity between generations.

In Japan, the ratio of older persons aged 60 years and older who live with the families of their married children has dropped from 47 percent to 24 percent in the past 20 years. Conversely, a growing number of older couples and older persons are living alone. Consequently, we are working on systemic improvements for promoting solidarity between generations through various types of support for all family structures. We are also implementing programs to support older persons living alone who do not have daily access to family support.

Solidarity between generations also provides the foundation on which social security systems are based. In Japan, rapid ageing is beginning to have a major impact on the intergenerational balance of burdens and benefits in social security systems, such as public pension schemes and health insurance systems. Thus, an extremely important challenge facing Japan is the reform of social security systems to ensure intergenerational fairness and the sustainability of stable social security services and benefits.

Third, I would like to discuss care of older persons, which has become a major issue as life expectancies continue to lengthen. Responding to this need, a new long-term care insurance system was launched in Japan in 2000 which ensures services to older persons requiring care.

We are also endeavoring to create a barrier-free living environment for all members of society, to enable older persons to improve the quality of their lives and promote their participation in social activities.

Mr./Madam Chairperson,

In the case of Japan, the ratio of older persons above the age of 60 has climbed sharply in the past 20 years from 13.5 percent to 23.5 percent. This can be attributed to Japan's unique characteristic of having one of the world's highest life expectancies and one of the world's lowest birthrates. In the very near future, we can readily expect Japan to become the world's most advanced aged society.

In light of this situation, Japan enacted the Basic Law on Measures for the Aged Society in 1995. Under this Law, the General Principles Concerning Measures for the Aged Society were formulated in 1996 and revised in 2001. We intend to implement a comprehensive range of measures and initiatives under this Law and these Principles.

Japan's basic stance on the promotion of measures for the aged society can be outlined as follows: (1) To break free from the stereotypic view of older persons as being vulnerable in terms of both health and finances; (2) to emphasize the need to prepare for old age from early in life and to take actions to prevent problems in old age; and (3) to intentionally adopt a perspective ensuring that both men and women can enjoy full and secure lives in light of gender differences in old age.

Mr./Madam Chairperson,

Coming into the 21st century, we can say that the world has entered a new stage of global ageing. We look forward to adopting a new International Plan of Action on Ageing at this conference. We hope this will provide appropriate guidelines for global responses to the problems of ageing and will also encourage more active engagement in the problems of this field.

I would like to state that Japan stands ready to work together with the global community in addressing the problems of ageing and to play its part in this vital area. In closing, I share with you the hope that this World Assembly will create a new global momentum for the realization of "building a society for all ages."

Thank you.