In an era where longevity is increasingly common, Japan and Switzerland stand out as leaders in life expectancy, ranking 3rd and 6th, respectively, with an average life span exceeding 83 years (World Bank, 2022). Both countries attribute their high life expectancy to active lifestyles characterized by many outdoor activities and robust healthcare systems, emphasizing preventive care, regular screenings, and advanced treatments.
As our global population ages, we face numerous societal challenges. These include the strain on healthcare systems, pressures on pension and retirement schemes, a shrinking working-age population, and the need for accessible housing, transportation, and community facilities. Additionally, the protection of older adults from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, the creation of age-friendly communities, and the prevention of digital isolation and ageism are critical issues that must be addressed.
This event will unite experts, researchers, and various stakeholders from Japan and Switzerland to delve into the secrets and challenges of healthy longevity by examining how both cultures approach health, wellness, and aging, uncovering similarities and unique strategies. Through captivating presentations and an engaging panel discussion the speakers will seek to answer three key questions: What do we know? What does it mean? What can be done?
The event will offer simultaneous translation in both English and Japanese.
Tuesday, 17 September, 2024
17:45 Doors Open
18:00 Welcome Remarks
18:05 A Close Follower: Longevity and Ageing In Switzerland | Dr. med. Hans Groth
18:20 Japan’s Long Life: How We Achieved It and What Challenges We Face | Prof. Yasuko Akutsu
18:35 Wellbeing and Longevity: A Global Perspective | Prof. Thomas Zeltner
18:50 Panel Discussion moderated by Dr. Florian Kohlbacher
19:25 Input from Experts
Mr. Hideki Tarumi, Vice President, Japan Pension Service & former Vice-Minister, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
Prof. Dr. Atsushi Seike, President, Japanese Red Cross Society & Honorary President, Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office, Government of Japan
– 21:00 Networking
Dr. med. Hans Groth | St. Gallen, Switzerland
Chairman of the Board of the World Demographic & Aging Forum (WDA Forum), Dr. Hans Groth, is also a Board Member of ZurzachCare AG, a leading group of Rehabilitation Clinics in Switzerland. He has been a guest lecturer at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) from 2009 to 2020. From 2009 to 2015, he was a Member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Currently, he is a visiting Professor at the Makerere University in Kambala (Uganda) and the Andrassy University in Budapest (Hungary).
For the past twenty years, Dr. Groth has been studying the interaction between global demographic change, economic development, wealth, and societal stability. His research focuses on theories of economic development and productivity and on employing the value of health as a sustainable tool to unlock new ways to tackle the imminent challenges of demographic change and its opportunities for society, governance, and business.
Prof. Yasuko Akutsu | Tokyo, Japan
Born in Nagoya City, Aichi prefecture, Prof. Yasuko Akutsu engaged in product development, exhibition concept planning, and urban planning at an industrial design company. Later on, she ventured into product merchandising, store setup, and healthcare design consulting business. In 2012, she took a visionary step and founded MT Healthcare Design Institute. This endeavor focused on design research for the healthcare sector while simultaneously advocating for the application of design thinking in developing and implementing products and services. In 2017, she initiated Aging Japan. Her passion and expertise now extend far and wide, collaborating extensively domestically and internationally in healthcare product and service design, medical and caregiving equipment evaluation, and personnel development. Since 2019, she has been an Associate Professor of the Patient Support Department at Chiba University.
Prof. Thomas Zeltner | Bern, Switzerland
Prof. Thomas Zeltner is a Swiss Medical Doctor and Lawyer. Since 1992, he has been Professor of Public Health at the University of Bern. Currently serving the Swiss Red Cross as Chairman, he is also the founder and first chairman of the World Health Organization (WHO) Foundation in Geneva. He is the Deputy Chair of the University Council of the Medical University of Vienna (Austria). Between 1991 and 2009, Thomas Zeltner served Switzerland as Secretary of State and Director General of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Dr. Florian Kohlbacher | Tokyo, Japan
Dr. Florian Kohlbacher is Vice President of Commercial Transformation, Japan & South Korea Operating Unit at The Coca-Cola Company. He is an internationally renowned expert on global business and consumer trends, focusing on how to manage innovation, strategy, sustainability, and change. He is particularly well known for his work on aging and business and how companies can strategically manage the challenges and opportunities of population aging and other megatrends. While global in nature, Dr. Kohlbacher’s work strongly focuses on the economies of Asia, particularly China, Japan and Korea and he has been based in Asia for most of the past 25 years.
Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Florian was the North Asia Director of the Economist Corporate Network, managing the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)’s executive consulting business in Japan and South Korea. Before that, he was an Associate Professor of Marketing and Innovation at the International Business School Suzhou (IBSS) at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) in China and the Founding Director of the XJTLU Research Institute on Ageing and Society (RIAS); he also was a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Business & Economics Section as well as Deputy Director at the German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) Tokyo, Japan.
Mr. Hideki Tarumi | Tokyo, Japan
Mr. Hideki Tarumi has been serving the Japan Pension Service as the Executive Vice President since January 2022. He was the Vice Minister in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare from September 2020 to October 2021.
After graduating from the Faculty of Law of the University of Tokyo in 1983, he joined the Ministry of Health and Welfare. He was appointed First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy in the United States in 1993. In 1998, he became Director of the Health and Welfare Division for the Elderly, in the Hokkaido Prefectural Government. He held various positions within the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare such as Director of the Personnel Affairs Division, Councilor for Pension Management, Minister’s Secretariat, Chief of Staff, Director General of the Health Insurance Bureau, Director General of the Pharmaceutical Safety and Environmental Health Bureau. In March 2020, he took the position of Councilor at the Cabinet Secretariat as Chief of the Covid-19 Office.
Prof. Dr. Atsushi Seike | Tokyo, Japan
Prof. Dr. Atsushi Seike assumed the presidency of the Japanese Red Cross Society in July 2022. Prior to this, he served as President of the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan from 2018. From 2009 to 2017 he served as President of Keio University and after serving two consecutive terms as the President of the University, he assumed the position of Executive Advisor for Academic Affairs and Professor Emeritus of the University.
As a Labor Economist by training, Prof. Dr. Seike received his Ph.D. in Labor Economics from Keio University and became Associate Professor at Keio’s Faculty of Business and Commerce in 1985, Professor in 1992, Dean of the Faculty in 2007 and President of the University in 2009. He has served as President of the Japan Society of Human Resource Management, President of the Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges, Chairman of the National Committee on Social Security System Reform and President of the Japan National Council of Social Welfare. Overseas, he has held numerous professional positions, including Visiting Scholar at the Department of Economics, University of California, Los Angeles, Consultant at the RAND Corporation, Edwin O. Reischauer Visiting Professor of Japanese Studies at Harvard University, and member of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work. He has also served on the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) and the Global Agenda Council on Ageing, both at the World Economic Forum.
His current roles on government committees include Chairman of the Council for the Construction of Social Security System for All Generations, Honorary President of the Economic and Social Research Institute, and Chairman of the Labor Policy Council.
Contact for inquiries: [email protected]
As part of the 160th anniversary celebrations, the Swiss Vitality Days 2024 aim to engage multiple Swiss and Japanese stakeholders. This special platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange will take place from mid-September to end of October 2024. The assortment of events will explore the concept of Vitality from various angles, including research, academia, business, governance, economy, finance, culture, and the arts.
More events
