Dentsu Inc. Holds First "Health and Medical Growth Strategy Seminar"

On March 17, Dentsu Inc. held the first "Health and Medical Care Growth Strategy Seminar: Toward Extending Healthy Life Expectancy" at Dentsu Hall in Shiodome, Tokyo. Amid challenges of curbing rising healthcare costs due to an aging population and enhancing the international competitiveness of Japan's globally high-quality medical resources, the government has positioned "extending healthy life expectancy" as one of the strategic market creation plans within its Japan Revitalization Strategy. At the seminar, officials from three relevant ministries and agencies presented on policy implementation, current status, and future directions. Over 400 corporate representatives attended to share goals and challenges for creating health-related markets and seek hints for new business collaborations. Finally, Mayuko Watanabe, Director of the Life Innovation Department, Social Solutions Bureau, Dentsu Inc., took the stage to present information on consumer health awareness and introduce specific offerings like health initiatives.

Jun Yoshida, Planning Officer at the Cabinet Secretariat's Health and Medical Strategy Office, explained the strategy's outline, implementation framework, and future schedule. He particularly highlighted how ICT adoption in healthcare is shifting the vector: where doctors used to explain "Your health status is this," patients will now be able to explain "My health status is this" to doctors.

Next, Assistant Director Ryo Nasu of the Healthcare Industry Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), introduced initiatives aimed at creating a market for health services. METI established the "Next-Generation Healthcare Industry Council" in December last year. He explained efforts to develop guidelines that address corporate needs, such as a system to resolve regulatory gray zones (areas where the scope of applicable laws for companies providing health products/services is unclear). He also discussed standardizing quality evaluation criteria using third-party certification to support consumer decisions regarding diverse preventive and health management products/services. Furthermore, he mentioned awareness campaigns targeting companies and health insurance associations, given that employee health promotion and disease prevention initiatives have become critical management issues.

Furthermore, Hideto Sekino, Director of the International Medical Development Strategy Office within the Medical Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, gave a presentation on "Progress in the International Expansion of the Medical Field." He outlined efforts to build cooperative relationships between MHLW and the health ministries of emerging market countries, noting that memorandums of understanding have already been signed with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and others.

Mr. Watanabe, Department Manager at Dentsu Inc., identified three key concepts for understanding the future health market: "Extending Healthy Life Expectancy," "Health Management," and "Health Data Marketing." He explained the key points of each, provided related data and specific examples, and outlined future planning examples. The next seminar is scheduled to be held within the year.