A CASE STUDY OF COOPERRATION BETWEEN THAILAND AND JAPAN IN ENABLING A SECURE AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE AGEING POPULATIONS
Abstract
This article aims to examine the nature of the cooperation between Thailand and Japan in terms of meeting the challenges of an ageing population. While both countries face different demographic stages, and have responded in different ways to the social issues and opportunities posed by this rapid transformation, efforts have been made on both sides to collaborate, learn, and share from respective experiences at international, national, and local levels. While much of the literature has focused on Thailand and Japan’s strategies to provide support for the elderly and on the structures and programmes which provide strong foundations for meeting the range of specific challenges encountered by this growing segment of the population, little research has been conducted on analysis of practical project-based collaboration between both countries and whether or how the cooperation is mutually supporting their respective strategies related to healthcare for the elderly. By drawing on academic articles on a specific example of collaboration ‘on the ground’ in Thailand and Japan, this article will probe how the cooperation is contributing towards addressing the issue and draw out implications for a more sustainable and longterm cooperation framework that is truly mutually beneficial and responsive to the two countries’ realities and context. This article will also analyse the implications of lessons learnt from such collaborative work for other Southeast Asian countries transitioning to ageing and super-ageing societies.
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