2019), with a focus on contributing to the achievement of UHC. Based on the
principles, Japan has been promoting the “Asian Health and Wellbeing Initiative
(AHWIN) and the Africa Health and Wellbeing Initiative (AfHWIN), with the aim of
achieving both healthy living and economic growth in aging Asia, and in Africa, which
is experiencing rapid population growth and achieving high economic growth, through
mutually beneficial cooperation as a basic approach. In addition, Japan has been
engaged in efforts to enable Asia to foster a socially and economically vibrant, healthy,
and long-lived society through various forms of support including financial
contributions to the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in
the health sector.
As emerging and developing countries, often referred to as the Global South,
increase their presence, Japan has recognized the importance of strengthening
engagement not only with the existing muti-lateral framework such as G7 and G20,
but also with other international partners. It is crucial to adopt a detailed approach that
responds to the various needs of these countries. In advancing these efforts, Japan
emphasizes the importance of centering on "people" and upholding human dignity and
human security. It remains essential to further strengthen public-private partnerships
in the field of health, medical care, and long-term care in Indo-Pacific region, including
those in Asia, and the MHLW needs to establish the organizational capacity to support
these efforts in cooperation with relevant ministries and agencies.
Utilization of innovative technologies
The field of health, medical care, and long-term care are rapidly advancing due
to digitization and data science. The utilization of such innovative technologies is
enabling initiatives that can significantly contribute to achieving UHC and PPR. The
Indo-Pacific region, including the Asian countries mentioned above, is no exception.
A strong international public-private partnership in digitalization and data science
is crucial for advancing health, medical care, and long-term care in this region,
including Japan. It is essential to consider the ongoing efforts to develop digitalization
and data science system in these fields domestically in an integrated manner. It is also
important to advance initiatives using Japan’s innovative technologies while keeping
in mind the goal of translating the outcomes of these efforts into domestic technology
development and problem-solving.

9