JHF and PRHI Lead Delegation to Japan to Explore Society 5.0 and Innovations in Aging and Health Care
Type: News
Focus Area: Aging
JHF’s study tour cohort at Keio University.
On November 10th, the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and Pittsburgh Regional Initiative (PRHI) set off to Japan with a diverse delegation of leaders from academia, medicine, technology, philanthropy, and social innovation, for a transformative study tour of Japan to experience and learn from the country’s ambitious efforts of Society 5.0: Human-Centered Smart Society. Society 5.0 is Japan’s vision for its future as a superintelligent society, integrating digital and physical spaces to tackle various societal challenges, promote economic growth, and to support a shift toward a human-centered, knowledge-intensive, and data-driven society built on built on big data, AI, robotics, sensors, and similar technologies.
Traveling to Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya over two weeks, the cohort included: Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD, President and CEO, JHF and PRHI; Josh Breslau, ScD, PhD, Senior Behavioral and Social Scientist; Professor of Policy Analysis, Pardee RAND Graduate School; Debra L. Caplan, MPA, Chair, JHF and Women’s Health Activist Movement global (WHAMglobal), Executive-in-Residence at The Forbes Funds; David Classen, MS, MD, CMIO at PascalMetrics, Professor of Medicine, University of Utah; George Darakos, MBA, Chief Partnerships Officer, Carnegie Mellon University (CMU); Artur Dubrawski, PhD, Research Professor of Computer Science & Director, Auton Lab at CMU; George Fechter, Serial Healthcare and Technology Entrepreneur; Christine Fulton, private public ventures; Michael E. Gluck, PhD, MPP, Vice President, AcademyHealth; Mayank Goel, PhD, Software and Societal Systems Department, CMU; Martial Hebert, PhD, Dean, CMU School of Computer Science; Seigo Izumo, MD, Retired Senior VP, Global Head of Regenerative Medicine Unit, Head of Scientific Affairs, Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Miriam Laugesen, PhD, Associate Professor at Columbia University’s Department of Health Policy and Management, past Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Policy Fellow, 2023 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship for research in Japan; Amanda Lenhard, MD, Chief of Medicine, UPMC Shadyside, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh; David Levenson, MD, Nephrologist, Chief of the Renal Division and Vice-Chair of Medicine at UPMC Shadyside Hospital, Clinical Professor and Healthcare Entrepreneur, Partners in Nephrology; Keisuke Nakagawa, MD, Incoming Director of Strategic Impact & Growth, Jacobs Center for Health Innovation, UC San Diego Health. Current Director of Innovation Digital CoLab, and Exec. Director of the UC Davis Health Cloud Innovation Center; Rema Padman, PhD, Trustees Professor of Management Science and Healthcare Informatics, CMU; and Nancy D. Zionts, MBA, COO/Chief Program Officer, JHF.
Amanda Lenhart, left, Cyberdyne Inc. President Yoshiyuki Sankai, and Karen Feinstein.
The concept of the 10-day study tour was to pursue two avenues of inquiry: how can technology and artificial intelligence (AI) improve safety and how to create new models of care for older adults, with the two avenues converging into a broad boulevard of tech innovation for an “Uber Aging” society. Feinstein said the study tour was shaped by Japan’s current focus on planning for a population marked by extraordinary longevity and an extraordinarily low birthrate. This was the topic of conversation at nearly all the stops on the tour, including the Health and Global Policy Institute, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Cyberdyne, Tsukuba Super Science Initiative, and an afternoon seminar sponsored by the Japan-American Society focused on Biopharma Innovations.
Various presenters discussed how the Smart Society interconnects various systems in practical ways, using advanced technologies to improve the overall lifestyle of its citizens. Right now, Osaka and Tsukuba are the two cities designated to advance the concept, aiming to reinvent elder care, life support, medicine and health care, and are using AI and robotics to interface the brain, neuro, physiological, and physical functions.
The study tour to Japan explored how technology, “big” data, novel health and social strategies address challenges associated with aging populations. It focused on innovations in AI, robotics, and community-centered healthcare, particularly under the framework of Society 5.0—a techno-enabled smart approach to integrating advanced technology for social good. Participants visited universities, hospitals, corporations, and organizations to understand approaches to aging, mobility, patient safety, and community integration. Sites like Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Cyberdyne showcased applications in transportation, elderly care, and rehabilitation, highlighting advancements such as wearable robotics and AI-driven platforms for allocating community services. They applied cutting-edge technologies, including exoskeletons for mobility and rehab, AI platforms for service optimization, and robotics for caregiving.
These innovations aim to enhance mobility, independence, and quality of life for the elderly and disabled, setting a benchmark for global applications. The collaboration among government, academia, industry, and communities in Japan enables unified efforts to address aging challenges. This alignment contrasts with fragmented approaches in other countries. Under the banner of Cybernics and Society 5.0, Japan as a nation is preparing for a new future.
Mobility emerged as a recurring theme, reflecting Japan's emphasis on moving people, goods, and services efficiently and locally to serve seniors in or near their homes. From robotics for personal mobility to community-focused transportation solutions, the commitment to enabling independence and accessibility was evident. Overall, the tour reinforced the value of intentional, multi-sectoral approaches in tackling complex societal issues such as aging and healthcare.
Japan’s innovative use of technology in health care, rehabilitation, and community support offers valuable lessons for global aging societies. Japan's healthcare system faces challenges like fragmented electronic health records, highlighting areas for collaboration and mutual learning with the United States.
JHF has been studying international health systems since its first study tour in 2009, and it has since organized or participated in trips to Australia, Canada, Finland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Spain, to meet key stakeholders in policy, health care, and delivery, including recipients of care, to see the models first-hand and extract lessons or enhancements to pre-existing systems of care in the United States.