TOKYO, JAPAN – Key regional and international stakeholders convened on 31 October 2025 to review the progress of the Financial Sustainability of Integrated Care for Older Persons (FISCO) project and strategise its future, emphasising the financial challenges posed by rapid population ageing in Southeast and East Asia. The meeting was co-hosted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (IPSS) of Japan, and featured the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI), the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and experts from Nihon University.

The meeting provided a quick overview of the FISCO project and its initial progress. The project, which uses the WHO’s Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) framework to promote healthy ageing, is a direct response to growing concerns among policymakers in the ASEAN region regarding the financial sustainability of care systems.

The FISCO project focused on laying the essential groundwork and planned a rapid assessment of available data across Southeast Asia to identify data gaps and verify comparability. This will inform a follow-up small-scale comparative study using the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) method, comparing Japan with a country such as Thailand or Indonesia to begin.

The agenda for 2026 is moving from assessment to forecasting and policy. The project aims to launch a Full Comparative Study based on initial findings. Critically, it starts simulating future financial burdens and developing various alternative financing options for care, directly engaging policymakers for input. Parallel to this, the partnership builds local capacity through training in data analysis for care financing and promote awareness by presenting results at high-level ASEAN forums.

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