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’’Healthy Japan 21’’ is a new health policy that has been proposed for the 21st century: it embodies a totally new concept for its viewpoints and methods. To start with, for its goal, the focus is placed on the ’’quality of life’’ or a life that is free of diseases, rather than mere prolongation of life. For its doctrine, the emphasis has shifted dramatically from improving the health of the entire population(the traditional approach for health improvement) to ’’achieving an ideal health status for each individual. The ultimate aged society that arrives first in Japan is a society in its ultimate form for human being. Why did Japan become westernized, giving up her traditional culture? Why did she go through industrialization, sacrificing her nature? And why does she try so hard to industrialize the developing countries? These efforts are all preparation for the arrival of a ultimate aged society. During the 20th century, we believed in unlimited possibilities and expanded our social frontier. In the 21st century, on the other hand, a super-aged society(the ultimate society), a glimpse of which we have witnessed from time to time, will descend on us sooner or later. It is expected to arrive first in Japan. ’’Healthy Japan 21’’ is intended to prepare for the arrival of the hitherto unheard of super-aged society by building the physiological basis of people. This policy is social experimentation on an immense social scale, in which questions are posed on the understanding of health, the relationship between individuals and society, the relationship between administration and citizens, the manner by which central and local governments operate, and the new relationship between prevention and therapy, ’’Healthy Japan 21’’ may be summarized as an experiment on a huge scale directed to the ultimate form of human society, in which Japan and each of her citizens play a role and set an example for the rest of the world. Even just by considering various approaches newly suggested for this venture, one may be convinced that it is a policy with features suitable for a country that has already achieved the world’’s highest longevity.
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