JLGC staff attended the annual Local Government Association Annual Conference and Exhibition from June 30 to July 2.
The new LGA Chairman and Leader of South Holland District Council Cllr Gary Porter, took the opportunity to tell the audience of his experience of hosting a Japanese delegation to his local authority:
“A few years ago, not long after I had taken over as Leader of South Holland, we had a delegation over from Japan. The leading politician in the group spoke little English and brought an American translator with him.
Through the translator, he said I looked quite young to be the leader of a council. I thanked him for that compliment – and then he asked if my father had bought it for me!
After I had stopped laughing, I said it was not how it worked in this country.
He then asked me if I was using it as a stepping stone to become an MP.
I said no. He looked surprised and then, through the translator, asked ‘why not?’
I told him I liked to get things done and despite his best efforts my own MP, who was a backbencher at the time, could only write me a letter.”
Jeremy Hunt gives Japan a mention
Cllr Porter’s point illustrated that in the UK it is often local councilors and council staff who impact most significantly on people’s lives when it comes to public services, this also being the case in Japan and a point which resonated with JLGC staff listening. The LGA conference is a great opportunity for staff from Japan’s local government to get an overview of how local authorities work in the UK, and the issues facing them currently.
One of the overarching themes of the three days was care services for an elderly population, where again Japan got a mention when Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt also spoke at the conference. As the UK begins to focus more on care for the elderly in the future and rising need as the population gets older, his speech talked about the increase in multi-generational households increasing in the UK, 16 % in the UK, but this compared to 65% in Japan.
The reason for Japan’s high rate of multigenerational households is partly due to Japan’s rapidly aging population while also having a very low birth rate. In 2011, 23.1% of the population were 65 and above, while 11.4% were already 75 and above, now the world’s highest.
This change, referred to as kōreikashakai; population aging, will have taken place in a shorter span of time than in any other country. Those aged 65 and above increased from 26.5 million in 2006 to 29.47 million in 2011, an 11.2% increase.
The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare estimates the nation’s total population will fall by 25% from 127.8 million in 2005, to 95.2 million by 2050. Japan’s elderly population, aged 65 or older, comprised 20% of the nation’s population in June 2006, a percentage that is forecast to increase to 38% by 2055.
JLGC will this year send a group of UK local government and public sector related professionals to Yamanashi Prefecture (123km west of Tokyo) to look at how Japan is tackling issues of aging population and will provide a great opportunity to learn about new strategies for welfare services, medical provision, welfare and other benefits for the elderly. Focus will be particularly on actively using elderly citizens in the local community and their roles in local organisations and projects for communities.
JLGC publishes details of the annual Japan Study Tour in the MJ LGA conference edition every year, as well as attending and being available to discuss with interested public sector staff the themes for upcoming tours and provide general information on Japan’s local authorities. Details of JLGC attendance at the 2016 LGA conference will be made public through the enews and on the website, as well via our Twitter @jlgclondon
