On June 11, Yasuo Fukuda, Chairman of Council of Advisors of Boao Forum for Asia and former Prime Minister of Japan, addressed at the plenary of Global Health Forum of Boao Forum for Asia.

He said, countries are bound to face an ageing population at some point. It is important for us to ensure that human beings stay healthy, remain active in their old age, and participate in social activities regardless of their age, so as to contribute to the development of countries and the society. Universal health coverage is a specific policy and task, and Japan has both good practices and lessons in this regard. During our demographic dividend period, which ended about a decade ago, Japan successfully introduced a universal health system that provided affordable healthcare to all of its citizens. Today, China and other Asian countries are also in a period of demographic dividend and enjoy the dividend of population growth. During this important period, China has played a very important role in technological innovation, especially in information and electronic technology, and has become a world leader and key player in this field. Technological innovation will be even more important in the changing society of the future. The close cooperation between China and Japan in this field will have an impact on the whole world. The Chinese and Japanese governments have just recently reached an agreement on medical cooperation, which will play an important role.

Yasuo Fukuda stressed that so far, the concept of medical care has changed greatly, especially with the development of technologies such as artificial intelligence, as well as the breakthrough in medical science. The use of artificial intelligence will surely enable the disabled and the elderly to better realize their potential. In order for these innovations to be available to many people, we need to provide good social institutions to make them happen. Universal health coverage is one of the key solutions in this area, and it is also important during the demographic dividend period in China and Asia. If China and Japan work together in this area and actively promote cooperation in Asia, then we can take measures and provide means to solve the problem of ageing population. The ageing of population, which will happen across the regions in the future, could in turn lead to new business opportunities.