75 Pct Unaware of Dementia Basic Law Enactment: Japan Govt Survey

Tokyo, Oct. 10 (Jiji Press)–A Japanese government survey showed Friday that 75.8 pct of the respondents are unaware of the enactment of the country’s basic law on dementia. The result of the public opinion survey by the Cabinet Office revealed that public awareness in Japan remains low even more than a year and a half after the law’s enforcement in January 2024. Of the respondents, 16.4 pct said they are aware of the law’s enactment but do not know its content, while 4.5 pct and 1.0 pct said they know its content “to some extent” and “in detail,” respectively. Asked about how they would like to live if diagnosed with dementia, 49.6 pct said they want to live in their current local communities, including by receiving support from people around them and using medical and nursing care services. Meanwhile, 42.3 pct said they prefer to live in elderly homes or similar care facilities, and 3.8 pct said they want to live by themselves to avoid burdening others. “We hope to enhance the support system for dementia sufferers while stepping up efforts to raise people’s awareness of the law in collaboration with local communities,” an official from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said. The law, which stipulates basic principles and responsibilities of administrative authorities on dementia measures, was enacted in June 2023, against a backdrop of an increasing number of people with dementia amid the aging population. It requires the central government to formulate a basic plan over dementia, with the aim of deepening public understanding, providing appropriate health care and welfare services, and supporting the families with people suffering dementia. It also encourages prefectural and municipal governments to draw up plans to promote dementia measures. The mail survey covered 3,000 people aged 18 or over nationwide between Aug. 21 and Sept. 28. The response rate came to 51.7 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]