Sachio Takeda: Hokuriku, a Land Full of Charm

The Hokuriku SDGs Research Centers and Institutes, where I serve as Representative Director, was established in 2020. It was born from the realization that Japan faces many social issues that must be resolved, based on regional revitalization activities I conducted with local governments during my time as Director of the Regional Liaison Center at Hokuriku University, as well as joint research with researchers from the United Nations University. Currently, we are already collaborating with more than 20 major companies on SDGs activities.

While UNESCO has set goals for the SDGs toward 2030, we conduct our SDGs activities with a 100-year perspective, considering what is essential for Japan to be a "country respected by the world." Our activities are concentrated into six areas: "Creating a healthy, bright, safe, and secure society," "Protection of Japan's nature, history, and culture," "Leveling up education from children to adults," "Well-being management and economic development," "Food self-sufficiency," and "Nature-friendly energy development."

As the number of elderly people living alone is increasing, we have further subdivided "Creating a healthy, bright, safe, and secure society" into four specific areas: health promotion for the elderly, construction of elderly-friendly transportation systems, promotion of intergenerational regional communication, and a society for disaster prevention and mitigation.

Regarding "health promotion for the elderly," we are not just looking at medical care itself, but also at solving transportation issues necessary for daily life. Particularly in areas with advancing depopulation, the transportation environment is poor, making it difficult even to visit the hospital. Unless this is solved, medical issues cannot be resolved. While the problems of an aging society are a nationwide challenge, I actually visited Wajima City to investigate the state of medical care and transportation in areas where depopulation is progressing.

Bus stops are located on main roads far from settlements, with some houses as far as 500 meters away. A distance that poses no problem for a healthy person is painful for an elderly person walking with a cane, and it is a very inconvenient environment to walk in the rain or snow while carrying luggage. Considering physical strength, I felt that a transportation system suitable for the elderly should not be an extension of conventional buses, but a new system altogether.

Transportation is a means to achieve goals such as commuting to work or school and shopping, but "transportation" in an aging society has a different aspect. As aging progresses, medical and nursing care costs strain finances; therefore, the purpose of "transportation" is to promote health by creating opportunities to go out, thereby suppressing medical and nursing care costs. Additionally, transportation serves purposes such as tourism and disaster prevention. From an administrative standpoint, the challenge is that vertical administration—where transportation is handled by the Transportation Policy Division and health by the Health and Welfare Division—makes coordination difficult.

The year before last, in a district where JR West Bus abolished or reduced services, we worked with Kanazawa City to devise a transportation system convenient for the elderly. At the same time, we considered integrating this with health promotion, such as the prevention of dementia and frailty, by promoting outings using the transportation system.

According to research by one university, the number of dementia patients is predicted to reach 7 million in 2025, and it is estimated that the incidence of dementia will reach 40% among those aged 85 and over. I believe we are moving toward a society where "elderly caring for the elderly" will become the norm.

It is said that personality changes can occur in dementia patients, and it is difficult for an elderly spouse to provide care with affection. As a result, there is a possibility that both will collapse together. To avoid this, it has been proposed that it is better to create an environment for collective care within the community. However, the most important thing is the prevention of dementia. Preventing dementia is not easy. Increasing opportunities for social interaction and outings for the elderly is crucial, and I believe a transportation system that makes going out easy will play a major role.

At the Hokuriku SDGs Research Centers and Institutes, we are trying to promote the construction of this "Health Promotion x Transportation System" from the Hokuriku region to the rest of the country through industry-academia-government-citizen collaboration.

On the other hand, to create a "country respected by the world," it is also important to disseminate information globally about the beautiful Satoyama and Satoumi nature and the rich history and culture of the Hokuriku region. To this end, we believe collaboration with the United Nations University, the Nature Conservation Society of Japan, and local community development councils is vital, and we are active in discovering the charms of Hokuriku.

Furthermore, empowering young people is also important for creating a "country respected by the world."

Unfortunately, the Noto Peninsula Earthquake occurred on New Year's Day 2024. Since reconstruction will take a long time, I believe continuous support is necessary. I intend to call out to sports enthusiasts around the world to hold the Urban Sports competition, which has been held at Kanazawa Castle since 2018, again this year to collect donations and realize the reconstruction of the Noto Peninsula. I am currently planning continuous support for at least five years. I would be very grateful for everyone's help in passing on Noto's beautiful Satoyama, Satoumi, and traditional culture to future generations.

In the development of the Japanese economy, the practice of Well-being management is important. I am implementing this through industry-academia collaboration, utilizing the experience I gained during my time working at Pfizer.

I believe that the government, universities, companies, and local residents should work together as one to solve the problems of Japanese society. Moving forward, I want to continue striving to create a "country respected by the world" by disseminating information from Hokuriku to the globe.

(The author performing support activities in the disaster area after the Noto Peninsula Earthquake on January 1)