Healthcare New Frontier Promotion Headquarters Office

Healthcare New Frontier (HCNF) is a package of policies developed by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government (hereinafter called Kanagawa Prefecture) to assist everybody to live a long and healthy life in the face of the severe social changes resulting from the advent of the super-aged society.

Super-Aged Society Causing a Rapid Change in Population Structure

The advancement of an ageing society is a common concern among industrialized nations, with Japan experiencing the most rapid progress of an ageing society. Kanagawa Prefecture is one of the fastest ageing society in Japan.

※It can be shown clearly that while the 1970 population distribution graph for Kanagawa Prefecture resembled a pyramid, by 2050, the graph will resemble a reverse pyramid.
Based on the national population census.

Problems Arising from Changes in Population Structure

The current social welfare system with the working generation supporting elderly citizens will not be sustainable with the unprecedented changes in social structure demonstrated by the change in the population pyramid.

Dual Approaches to Solve the Issue of Population Ageing

Kanagawa Prefecture has been promoting the HCNF Policy in order to address the issue of population ageing. The HCNF Policy consists of two approaches: pursuing cutting-edge medical treatments and technologies, and managing ME-BYO (defined below).

 

(1) Managing ME-BYO

Instead of clearly defining people's physical and mental condition as being either healthy or sick, under the concept of ME-BYO the physical and mental conditions evolves continuously between healthy and sick states, and ME-BYO applies to all conditions between being “healthy” and “sick.”

Hence, in order to stay physically and mentally healthy, it is important for individuals not to wait until they become sick to take action. Rather, it is important for them to monitor closely their “ME-BYO” condition in daily life and take active steps to maintain and improve their physical and mental conditions. Kanagawa Prefecture is promoting initiatives to stimulate changes in their health awareness and behavior patterns.

(2) Advanced Medical Technologies

Japan has made a number of basic research achievements including the development of iPS Cells, but practical application of these research result is rather slow compared with the West.

Kanagawa Prefecture is promoting measures to turn the results of basic research into practical application such as development of revolutionary drugs, advanced medical equipment and regenerative medical products, while stimulating the growth of the industries in these fields.

The objectives for combining Kanagawa's two approaches are to prolong people's healthy longevity, to expand areas for cutting- edge medical treatments, and to develop new business models in advanced medical and the ME-BYO fields.

 

ME-BYO Summit Kanagawa

Kanagawa Prefecture has been holding an international symposium named ME-BYO Summit in Yokohama and the resort town of Hakone every two years since 2015 by inviting experts from home and abroad to discuss the creation of a sustainable social system based on the ME-BYO concept. The result were publicized widely to the world.

Life Innovation in Keihin Coastal Areas

Introduction of our initiatives against to the development of Life Innovation in Keihin Coastal Areas, where massive deregulations are permitted in the special zones.

Healthcare New Frontier -A Challenge from Kanagawa-(PDF:1,551KB)

The policy package "Healthcare New Frontier" and ME-BYO are explained here.

Association for ME-BYO Industry Creation (In Japanese)

Promotion of Keihin Coastal Area Life Innovation Comprehensive Special Zones (In Japanese)

List of Kanagawa's Life-science Related Companies Seeking for Overseas Collaboration(PDF:2,476KB) 

Select Kanagawa NEXT ~Why Kanagawa? Business Environment & Investment Incentives~ 

Foreign Firm Setup Support Program 

JETRO

Kanagawa Industrial Promotion Center

School of Health Innovation( Displayed in another window )

Contacts

Contact details for each section.

Section Name	Telephone	What we do
Special Zones Cooperation	+81-45-210-3265	Plan comprehensively and adjusts matters concerning Healthcare New Frontier Promotion Headquarters Office. Promote Keihin Coastal Area Life Innovation Comprehensive Special Zones and National Strategic Special Zone.
ME-BYO Industry	+81-45-210-2715	Proceed ME-BYO industry. Promote ME-BYO Summit and ME-BYO Month.
Advanced Medical Industry	+81-45-285-0187	Proceed cutting-edge medical technology. Proceed Healthcare Robotics.
Global Strategy	+81-45-210-2720	Promote Life Science industry globally. Proceed Cooperation with WHO( World Health Organization).