1. Measures for the Aging Society in FY 2003

Budget related to Measures for the Aging Society
Measures for the aging society will be steadily enforced in the field of employment & income, health & welfare, learning & social involvement, living environment, promotion of survey and research, etc. The FY 2003 budget related to the aging society out of the government general account amounts to 12 trillion 74 billion 200 million yen. Its breakdown is: 5 trillion 770 billion 400 million yen for employment & income, 6 trillion 130 billion 200 million yen for health & welfare, 34 billion 700 million yen for learning and social involvement and 111 billion 500 million yen for promotion of survey and research, etc.

An Overview List of Budget Related to Measures for Aging Society by Field

2. Measures for the Aging Society by Field

New major measures in FY 2003 by field are as follows:

(1) Employment and income
- Efforts are made to enhance the introduction ratio of the continuous employment system up to 65 years old in cooperation with local employers' organizations by providing guidance and advice in group for the subsidiary companies.

- Reemployment support is conducted for long-term jobless middle-aged and senior persons such as employment support seminars utilizing private know-how, counseling, experiential exchanges among job hunters, etc.

- Moreover, toward the Pension System revision in 2004, while having a national extensive discussion are developed based on the 'Orientation and Points concerning Framework of Pension Reform,' further discussion will be developed at the Pension Section Meeting in the Social Security Council towards the embodiment of the Pension System revision.

(2) Health and welfare
- Grants are newly provided for the enterprises, etc. which provide exercise courses using the training apparatus for older persons from the viewpoint to prevent the decrease of physical function as growing older, so that older people could independently, so-called 'live in place' (keep on living in the house or the community where they have lived for long) without falling into the condition requiring care or bedridden.

- Additionally, grants are provided newly for training facility managers and care staff in order to secure appropriate services making use of the feature of Unit Care (Small Scale Lifestyle Care) Type Special Nursing Homes for the Aged.

- Regarding the reform of the medical system for the aged, the detailed examination of reform is further advanced based on the fundamental direction of reform shown in the basic principles decided in FY 2002.

(3) Learning and Social Involvement
- Efforts are made for smooth implementation of the New Courses of Study including the promotion of volunteer activities or exchanges with older persons. (Carried out in elementary and junior high schools in FY 2002, and in FY 2003 in high schools also)

- Established is an environment to promote volunteer activities including NPO activities: for instance, spread and establish a law to partially amend "Law to Promote Specified Nonprofit Activities enforced in May 1, 2003 (2003, Law number 173) and spread and firmly establish Certified NPO System which was expanded in the tax revision in FY 2003.

(4) Living Environment
- Measures to secure safety of older pedestrians are positively promoted, centering on 'Safe Walking Area' to secure the safe path for pedestrians, etc. by the systematic and comprehensive programs to prevent traffic accidents the black spots for accidents in the residential and commercial areas.

- Initiative measures are supported, including recruiting the district eager to form 'Life Path Zone (tentative name),' which will create high-quality living environment by tree-planting in cooperation with the roadside residents, non-telephone or electric light poles, etc., having priority on pedestrians' safe and comfortable use, by complete exclusion of passing traffic in residential areas.

(5) Promotion of investigation research etc.
- In addition to the promotion of research and development aiming to a realization of the medical treatment (tailor maid medical treatment) which enables prevention and medical treatment suitable for the individual, or regenerative medical treatment using trunk cell, taking advantage of the strong point of our country, the basic structure and function of 3,000 or more kinds of protein is analyzed and the project which aims at a realization of genome medicine, etc. is promoted by continuously combining the research-and-development capability of our country.

A list of budgets (General account budget)in FY 2003