Summary

1. The older generation in Japan is expected to have higher income as companies are encouraging them to remain employed longer, due to Japan's current labor shortage. In the era of the 100-year life, expectations are growing for the "Aging Business" which targets healthy and active older persons.
2. When it comes to corporate efforts in "Aging Business", in Japan the focus has been centered on developing and providing products and services to "support" older persons and those around them, for instance in the context of the long-term careinsurance system and other social security systems. By comparison, in the West, efforts are focused on products and services designed to "improve the Quality of Life (QoL)" for older persons. Startups specializing in the Aging industry and their investors are actively taking steps to develop new markets using gerontechnology, or a mix of gerontology and the latest technologies such as ICT.
   Moreover, the use of co-creation spaces known as "Living Labs" is facilitating the creation of products and services with high practical applicability.
3. In order to vitalize "Aging Business" in Japan, it will not be enough to rely on the efforts of individual companies as before; it will likely be necessary to build "Aging Business platforms" for handling all aspects of the business, from assessing and developing technologies to testing and distributing them in the market and providing after-sales services.

Contents

1. What Does "Aging Business" Mean in the Era of the 100-Year Life?
2. To Develop Usable Products and Services: Gerontechnology and Living Labs
3. Efforts Needed for Commercializing Aging Business
4. The Need for Living Positively in Old Age

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