KUALA LUMPUR: With the number of people over 65 years in Malaysia projected to triple from two million at present to over six million by 2040, Malaysia needs to learn from Japan on how to manage its ageing population.
Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Katsuhiko Takahashi said Japan, which already has a huge greying population, is keen to share its experience and expertise in managing them in an effort to improve the society's quality of life.
Takahashi said this to the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama)'s Chairman Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi at its headquarters, during a courtesy call here, Monday. Ras Adiba had asked the ambassador about what Malaysia can learn from Japan's experience in managing its ageing citizens who are expected to represent 35.3 per cent of the country's population by 2040.
"Ageing population issue is one variable that I really want to explore on how we can work together. Hence, I would like to encourage here that we pay attention to this aspect to work together as we can give you our success stories and failures in managing the ageing population over the past 50 years."
Elaborating further, the envoy said: "Ageing is always not necessarily limited to healthcare, there is more room for Malaysia to improve on the matter.
"When it comes to the ageing population, according to the World Bank statistics, you're 50 years younger than Japan. I think the ageing percentage of Malaysian society today is like when Japan was in 1972.
"Malaysia's life expectancy today is also the same as Japan 40 years back. The same goes for your gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.
"Malaysia is developing in a good way. Looking back at those facts, let's work on this aspect together to avoid any problem, which we (Japan) have experienced for the past 40 years. Compared with the number of years, now, you have room for improvement," he said.
When asked about other potential cooperation that Malaysia and Japan have been working on especially after Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's working visit to Japan in May, Takahashi said both governments have been making progress on new areas of cooperation as discussed and agreed throughout the visit.
"It is still early for us to share the results, but through communications between ministries in charge of trade and investment, as well as in disaster risk management, we are currently trying to come up with more specific actions to be taken based on the agreement made by the two Prime Ministers," he said.
Last month, Ismail Sabri through discussion with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, both leaders agreed to step up cooperation in fields such as energy, smart city, environment, and climate change.
Japan is also the fourth largest trading partner for Malaysia since 2015. Trade value in 2021 amounted to US$35.9 billion - an increase of about 20 per cent compared to US$29.6 billion in 2020.
Takahashi said Malaysia and Japan have enjoyed excellent bilateral ties since the establishment of Malaysia's Look East Policy four decades ago.
"When we think about how the 40-year relationship between Malaysia and Japan should progress, I think we should no longer be in the picture of traditional donor and recipient or, rather, giver and the receiver," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Mon Jun 27 2022
With the number of people over 65 years in Malaysia projected to triple to over six million by 2040, Malaysia needs to learn from Japan on how to manage its ageing population, said Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi. - BERNAMA
Kelantan: 70 peratus kemalangan maut babit penunggang, pembonceng motosikal
70 peratus kes kemalangan maut yang dicatat berlaku dari 1 hingga 26 April di Kelantan, membabitkan penunggang dan pembonceng motosikal.
[TERKINI] WEF | Pembangunan dunia yang tidak seimbang, Apa Solusi?
Mesyuarat Khas Forum Ekonomi Dunia (WEF) di Arab Saudi merungkai masalah ekonomi dan ketidakseimbangan pembangunan yang sedang melanda dunia. Menteri MITI, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz dan Menteri Kewangan Arab Saudi, Mohammed Al-Jadaan berada sepentas merungkai masalah dunia yang memberi impak kepada semua negara.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Calon PH, PN bertembung ketika kempen
Dua calon yang bersaing bagi PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu hari ini bertembung buat kali pertama sejak hari penamaan calon semalam.
AWANI Ringkas: 1MDB - Polis Jerman rampas 4 kereta Bugatti Veyron edisi terhad
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Gempa bumi Indonesia, Tasikmalaya paling terjejas
Sekurang-kurangnya empat orang cedera dan 27 keluarga lagi terkesan selepas satu gempa bumi dengan magnitud 6.2 melanda Daerah Garut di Jawa Barat pada pukul 11.29 pagi waktu tempatan, Ahad.
Air penstabil dan pemangkin pembangunan negara - Fadillah Yusof
Air merupakan komponen penting yang bertindak sebagai penstabil dan pemangkin untuk pembangunan negara yang mampan.
Pelaburan RM2.4 bilion dibawa masuk ke Terengganu - MB
Sebanyak RM2.4 bilion nilai pelaburan yang berpotensi sedang dibawa masuk ke Terengganu setakat bulan April ini.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Kelayakan akademik bukan isu calon PN - Pas
Kempen PN sempena PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu tidak akan terjejas berikutan isu yang mengaitkan kelayakan akademik calonnya, Khairul Azhari Saut.
Peniaga nasi kukus raih jualan RM14,000 sebulan
Inisiatif Pendapatan Rakyat (IPR) mampu merubah graf pendapatan bulanan peserta apabila meningkatkan hasil jualan.
Piala Uber: Malaysia tewas kepada Taiwan
Malaysia memulakan kempen Kumpulan B Piala Uber 2024 mereka dengan langkah kiri apabila tewas 1-4 kepada Taiwan, di sini hari ini.
Wong Chun Wai pengerusi baharu Bernama
Tokoh media terkemuka Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai dilantik sebagai Pengerusi Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia (Bernama) yang baharu, berkuat kuasa 1 Sept ini.
'Ras Adiba pernah bisik minta TPM sambung dua jawatan' - Nurulhidayah
Nurulhidayah mendakwa Ras Adiba pernah meminta bantuannya untuk menyambung kontrak sebagai Senator di Dewan Negara dan Pengerusi Bernama.
PRN: Ras Adiba sedia bertanding andai dicalonkan
Sekiranya tidak dicalonkan, Ras Adiba ikrar akan sokong dan berkempen untuk rakan seperjuangan dalam Perikatan Nasional.
Selepas Tun Faisal, kini Ras Adiba Radzi pula sertai Bersatu
Selepas Datuk Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz mengesahkan menyertai Bersatu, Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi pula kini sah mengambil langkah sama.
'Sampai orang kata saya tak betul' - Ras Adiba masih tunggu kepulangan Zalina
Menurut Ras Adiba, beliau sentiasa berfikiran positif, selain optimis terhadap keberadaan wanita yang pernah bergelar teman sekerjanya itu.
Ras Adiba seru masyarakat jadi mata dan telinga pihak berkuasa, elak kes aniaya anak OKU berulang
Senator Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi meminta masyarakat agar menjadi mata dan telinga pihak berkuasa bagi mengelakkan kes penganiayaan terhadap anak-anak dalam kalangan Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) berulang.
Ras Adiba antara penerima Anugerah Wanita Berani Antarabangsa 2023
Acara Anugerah Wanita Berani Antarabangsa bagi 2023 dijadual berlangsung di Rumah Putih, Washington, Amerika Syarikat pada Rabu.
Menu Rahmah: Kenyataan Ahli Parlimen Kapar cetus salah faham, hina OKU - Ras Adiba
Ras Adiba berkata, kenyataan itu boleh memberi pemahaman yang salah kepada masyarakat selain menghina komuniti OKU di Malaysia.
OKU Sentral saran KKM wujud dasar penyakit jarang jumpa
Ia merangkumi dana sokongan kerajaan, penyelidikan jujukan genom, jumlah pakar genetik dan penyediaan fasiliti rawatan di hospital atau klinik pakar.
Pindaan Akta OKU dimuktamadkan menjelang Jun - Nancy
Pindaan Akta Orang Kurang Upaya (OKU) 2008 dijangka dimuktamadkan menjelang Jun ini dengan memberi fokus kepada aspek pemerkasaan dan penguatkuasaan bagi menjaga hak golongan itu.