CRAPS study mission to Tokyo: ageing, health and work

Tokyo, Japan · April 11-17, 2026

From 11 to 17 April 2026, 36 French delegates convened by the CRAPS think tank took part in a seven-day study mission in Tokyo organised by Dialog Health. The programme covered the financing of social protection in an ageing society, senior employment and longer careers, workplace health, cancer control, the digital hospital, hospital care at home and community-based support for older people.

Japan is one of the countries where population ageing is most advanced. For the delegation of the CRAPS think tank, made up of 36 French delegates, the aim of this mission was to observe how the country is adapting the financing of social protection, the organisation of care and the world of work to this demographic shift, and to compare these approaches with the French situation.

The week opened at the Embassy of France in Japan with a framing seminar. Business France presented Japan’s cultural context and business practice, Orphan Pacific the workings of the health system, and Maya Yamazaki — health consultant, former member of parliament and former executive of the Japanese Nursing Association — long-term care insurance, home care and nursing career paths. At the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the delegation then examined how social protection is organised and financed, its sustainability challenges and policies supporting senior employment.

Work was a common thread throughout the programme. At SOMPO Health Support, with researchers from Sompo Institute Plus attending as observers, the delegation learned about health services for company employees; at Mitsubishi Corporation and its subsidiary Human Link, about a system for managing extended careers and keeping senior employees in work. At Saitama Red Cross Hospital, discussions focused on the late careers of nurses and doctors and on the mental health of care professionals.

The hospital strand took the delegation to the National Cancer Center Japan, where speakers presented employment support for cancer patients, national cancer control policy and the international ATLAS project, and to Keio University Hospital, which is leading the AI Hospital project. At MedAgricare, the delegation studied a model of hospital care at home and the care coordination that supports it.

Ageing was approached from several angles: the recruitment of overseas care professionals and the care technologies presented by SOMPO Care at the Future Care Lab in Japan, the organisation of a sustainable neighbourhood at Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town, and community-based support for people living with dementia at AOI Care, with a presentation at Café Nobishiro.

Run in plenary or in two groups depending on the visit, the mission gave delegates an overview of Japan’s responses to ageing, from national policy down to the neighbourhood. Lessons for France are a matter for each participant’s own analysis: they concern in particular the links between financing, senior employment and the organisation of care, rather than the direct transfer of schemes designed for a different context.

The program

Introductory seminar — Embassy of France in Japan. The mission began with a three-part briefing. Nicolas Sestier and Alexis Tatto of Business France presented Japanese culture and business practice. Philippe Auvaro, president of Orphan Pacific, described how the health system is organised. Maya Yamazaki covered long-term care insurance, home nursing and medical care, and nursing career paths. This gave delegates a shared understanding of the Japanese system before the visits.
SOMPO Health Support — employee health. Part of the delegation was received by president Ryoko Shimokawa and Hidekazu Takahashi, head of service development, with researchers from Sompo Institute Plus attending as observers. The presentation covered the services offered to companies for their employees’ health, followed by questions. The visit shed light on a central theme of the mission: the role of prevention and workplace health in keeping an ageing workforce active.
National Cancer Center Japan — cancer, employment and clinical research. At the National Cancer Center Hospital, part of the delegation attended a series of talks: an overview of the centre, employment support for cancer patients, Japan’s cancer control policy presented by the Institute for Cancer Control, and the ATLAS project of the Department of International Clinical Development. Delegates could connect a national strategy, hospital practice and patients’ return to or continuation in work.
Keio University Hospital — AI Hospital project. Welcomed by hospital president Koichi Fukunaga, delegates in the second group heard Professor Masahiro Jinzaki present the AI Hospital project, followed by discussion. The visit continued in two sub-groups across nine hospital sites, with demonstrations by staff, including a robot. For the delegation, the interest lay in seeing how a large university hospital integrates these tools into its organisation, beyond their presentation.
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — social protection and senior employment. At the Ministry, Hitoshi Shirasaki presented how Japanese social protection is organised and financed, its adaptation to ageing, its sustainability challenges and international comparisons. Jun Aono of the Employment Security Bureau outlined the regulatory framework, schemes and current policy directions for senior employment. For a French delegation, these talks offered a direct basis for comparison on financing and longer careers.
SOMPO Care and Future Care Lab in Japan — workforce and care technologies. SOMPO Care presented the Sompo group and how it integrates care professionals from abroad, for example from the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia or India. CRAPS in turn presented the French situation. A tour of the Future Care Lab then introduced the space dedicated to care-support technologies. Two responses to staff shortages were thus set side by side: international recruitment and equipping care teams.
Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town — a neighbourhood for all generations. In two groups, the delegation was received at Fujisawa SST Square for a presentation of this sustainable neighbourhood in Fujisawa. The visit focused on how a smart urban living environment is organised to bring together housing, services and community life. It widened the discussion from the care setting to the scale of the city, raising the question of how urban planning can support residents as they age.
Mitsubishi Corporation and Human Link — extended careers. The second group met HR managers from Mitsubishi Corporation and the head of the Career Design Center at its subsidiary Human Link. They presented the company’s system for managing extended careers and keeping senior employees in work, supported by this specialised subsidiary. For delegates facing the same questions in France, the visit offered a concrete example of how a large group organises the later stages of careers.
AOI Care and Café Nobishiro — dementia and neighbourhood life. After a presentation at Café Nobishiro, part of the delegation visited AOI Care in Fujisawa. The organisation supports older people, including people living with dementia, in settings embedded in the neighbourhood and open to local residents. The visit showed community-based support that draws on local life — an approach to compare with more institutional models of residential care.
MedAgricare — hospital care at home. The whole delegation attended a presentation of MedAgricare and its hospital-at-home activity, followed by questions and a tour of the premises in two sub-groups. Discussions focused on coordinating care around the patient at home. For delegates, the visit offered a concrete view of a form of care that is also developing in France.
Saitama Red Cross Hospital — health and careers of care staff. The hospital presented its activity and two topics chosen for the delegation: senior workers and end-of-career transitions for nurses and doctors, and measures supporting the mental health of care professionals. After a discussion, the tour took place in four groups. This final stop linked the two threads of the mission: the organisation of care and the working conditions of those who provide it.