EVENT DETAILS
JCIE USA and JCIE Japan are pleased to co-host a Business Forum featuring six experts on Asia from across the Indo-Pacific region, offering insights for business leaders and professionals interested in healthcare, long-term care, and related services.
Asia is aging rapidly. On average, countries in the region will transition from aging to aged societies in just over twenty years—a shift that took many European countries over fifty. And over the next quarter of a century, the number of people aged 65+ in Asia will nearly double. This is creating new needs and challenges across healthcare, long-term care, and social services systems. At the same time, the newly emerging silver economy is creating opportunities for businesses to meet the specific needs of this growing market.
What new needs are emerging because of Asia’s unprecedented rate of aging? What innovative solutions are being developed to create equitable health systems that address the unique needs of older adults? What role could the private sector play in addressing these challenges and tapping into the silver economy? Join leading experts from six Asian countries for an interactive discussion on the changing needs of aging societies and the potential for new solutions.
DATE: Tuesday, September 29, 2026
TIME: 15:00–17:00 (Networking with light refreshments to follow from 17:00–18:00)
VENUE: Vision Center Toranomon Tameike-Sanno, 6F, Room 601
EXPECTED AUDIENCE: Business leaders and professionals interested in international opportunities in healthcare, long-term care, and related services
LANGUAGES: English and Japanese (simultaneous interpretation provided)
CAPACITY: 50 participants
REGISTRATION: Advance registration required | Free of charge
PROGRAM
The final program on the day of the event is subject to change and may be adjusted without prior notice.
Opening Remarks
Satoko Itoh, Executive Director, Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE)
Welcome Remarks
Takuo Miyazaki, Counsellor, Office for Healthcare Policy, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of Japan
“Aging Vietnam: Emerging Needs and New Solutions”
Featured Speaker: Giang Thanh Long, Professor, Faculty of Economics, National Economics University
Discussant: Rie Sato, Director, Health Team 4, Human Development Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
PANEL DISCUSSION 1 | Regional Perspectives on Demographic Transition: Lessons from China, Malaysia, and Thailand
Experts from three countries in the region will share their perspectives on the demographic transitions taking place, including challenges specific to each context and areas for shared approaches.
Panelists
Tengku Aizan Hamid, Former Director and Founder, Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing, Universiti Putra Malaysia
Churnrurtai Kanchanachitra, Senior Advisor, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University (Thailand)
Jiehua Lu, Professor, School of Population and Health, Renmin University of China
Moderator
Stephen Mchugh, Chief Program Officer, JCIE USA
PANEL DISCUSSION 2 | Ensuring Older People Are Not Left Behind: The Role of Multisectoral Partnerships in Creating Equitable Health Systems
Discussion on the role of multisectoral collaboration, including public private partnerships and civil society groups in creating health systems that can meet the emerging needs of aging populations.
Panelists
Donghee Han, Director, Research Institute of Science for the Better Living of the Elderly (Korea)
Peh Kim Choo, Senior Advisor, Tsao Foundation (Singapore)
Moderator
Momoko Abe, Program Officer, JCIE
Q&A Session
Forum Concludes
A networking event will follow at JCIE’s offices on the 7th floor of the building.
PANELISTS
Thanh–Long Giang, PhD
Thanh-Long Giang is Professor at the College of Economics and Public Management, National Economics University, Vietnam. He is also a senior research fellow at Institute of Social and Medical Studies (ISMS) (Vietnam), and an affiliate research fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing of the University of Oxford (UK). His research focuses on the economics of ageing, pensions, and health insurance, with various publications in leading international journals such as Ageing & Society, Development & Change, Journal of Population Ageing, Health Promotion International, and INQUIRY. Prof. Long has advised the Government of Vietnam and its line ministries on aging and social protection reforms (such as Social Insurance Law; Population Law; Master Plan on Social Insurance Reform). He also has served as a consultant of, for example, ADB, JICA, UN agencies, and the World Bank. Prof. Long obtained a MPP degree from Hitotsubashi University (Japan) and a PhD degree in Public Policy from National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies – GRIPS (Japan).
Tengku Aizan Hamid, PhD
Dato’ Dr Tengku Aizan Tengku Hamid currently serves as the Chairman of the Board to the Private Pension Administrator (PPA) of Malaysia, having originally joined PPA in 2019 as an Independent Director. A Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and the Islamic Academy of Sciences, she also serves on various national and international advisory boards, including the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) global network and the Asia-Pacific Consortium on Active Ageing. A pioneer in the field of gerontology in Malaysia, she brings over 30 years of experience in ageing and social policy. In 2002, she founded a multidisciplinary research center on ageing, which evolved into the Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing®) in 2015. She served as its founding director until 2020, driving significant progress in research, education, and policy development. Dr Tengku Aizan has led and contributed to over 80 research projects as a principal investigator, co-investigator, and consultant for both national and international agencies. Her leadership and advocacy have earned her numerous recognitions, including the conferment of the title Datuk in 2018 and the Anugerah Wanita Warga Emas in 2022. She played a pivotal role in shaping the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on Ageing, adopted by ASEAN leaders in 2015. She holds a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Gerontology from Iowa State University.
Churnrurtai Kanchanachitra, PhD
Churnrurtai Kanchanachitra is Senior Advisor and Emeritus Professor at the Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR), Mahidol University, Thailand. She has served as Chief Editor of the Journal of Population and Social Studies (JPSS), a Scopus-indexed journal, since 2017, and advises several research projects at IPSR. She also directs the UC Leader Training Program, a strategic collaboration between the Thailand Innovative Administration Consultancy Institute, the National Health Security Office, and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation, and a member and the secretariat of the annual Prince Mahidol Award Conference.
Jiehua Lu, PhD
Dr. Jiehua Lu is a professor at the School of Population and Health, Renmin University of China, and also the founding director of the Institute for National Strategic Studies on Ageing, Peking University. Dr. Lu now serves as the vice president of China’s Population Association and of China’s Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics. For the latter, he is deputy director of the Aging Industry Committee and Standing Director of the Elderly Care and Nursing Committee. His research areas include demography, gerontology, economics of population, and interaction between population and environment. Dr. Lu has been the principal investigator for numerous projects and has published more than 70 academic papers. He has served as a member of the Expert Committee on National Elderly Service System Construction for the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and as editorial board member of the Journal of Resources Science, among others
Donghee Han, PhD
Dr. Donghee Han is the Director of the Research Institute of Science for the Better Living of the Elderly (RISBLE) and she is co-founder of the Active Aging Consortium in Asia Pacific. She has pioneered programs in elder abuse prevention, elder care, digital aging, and active aging. She has advised major government bodies—including the National Pension System and Busan Metropolitan City—and served as Chairperson of the Commission on Elderly Policy. Internationally, she contributes to organizations such as the Active Aging Consortium in Asia Pacific, HAPI, ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI), and the IAGG ASIO e‑TRIGGER (Asian-Oceania e-Training in Gerontology and Geriatrics). She has developed innovative ICT initiatives like Cyber Family and the CEP Programs, trained over 800 Well-ageing Narrative Teaching Aids trainers, and introduced new models of community care in Busan. She also writes widely on aging issues as a columnist for Korean media.
Peh Kim Choo
Ms. Kim Choo Peh currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Chairman’s office at the Tsao Foundation, where she supports the Foundation’s regional portfolio, including partnerships with the Asian Development Bank and UNESCAP to implement long-term care policies. She previously served as CEO of the Foundation, where she spearheaded initiatives in direct care, training, collaboration, research, and advocacy to improve the aging experience and drive systematic change. She led a project in the Whampoa area of Singapore to create an integrated, community-wide system promoting health, learning, and aging in place. She has over 30 years of experience in the eldercare sector, working at the personal, social, and system levels to support older adults in leading healthy and fulfilling lives amidst demographic changes. Trained as a social worker, counseling therapist, and clinical supervisor, she developed her skills in primary care, home-based health, psychosocial care, and care management for community-dwelling elders. She also led the development and implementation of training courses for professionals in aged care across Singapore and neighboring countries.
This program was made possible thanks to the generous support of the MRA Foundation.
