A deputy directors-general forum for planning and strategy has been established, and is preparing a plan for the government’s work; seven areas in which the government has chosen to focus have been identified; interministerial cooperation has been intensified; and detailed targets have been set in a number of areas, and work has begun toward achieving them.
However, the challenges are large, and the way toward formulating a work plan, and more importantly toward implementing such a plan, remains long. In the area of healthcare and long-term care, in view of the trend of aging population, we can estimate that the volume of needs for medical and long-term care services will increase sharply, and we must already prepare for this now.