Japan's government has drawn up a draft plan to promote measures aimed at building a society that offers people with dementia greater support and hope.

The draft is based on the premise that anyone can develop dementia at a time when the number of people in the country with the condition is increasing alongside the aging population.

The draft outlines what the government calls "a new view on dementia," that would allow people to continue living in areas they are familiar with and offer them hope, even after they develop symptoms.

The draft sets forth four objectives, which include respecting the will of dementia patients in their daily lives and allowing the public to make use of new knowledge and technology related to dementia.
It says it is also important to establish indicators to assess the effects of the proposed measures, such as whether public understanding is advancing, as well as to confirm the measures are being properly implemented, and to review the plans based on these evaluations.

According to an estimate, there were more than 10 million elderly people with mild cognitive impairment, or MCI, in 2022, and one out of about 3.6 elderly people is said to be suffering from dementia or will likely develop symptoms.

A deep-rooted belief that the disorder robs people of the ability to understand things makes it difficult for sufferers to accept they have dementia, which can lead to social isolation.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru said on Thursday that his government released the "new view on dementia" as each individual patient has things they can, and want, to do.

He said he will ask government officials to work jointly to improve measures against dementia.

The draft plan will become the basic policy for the government's dementia measures. It is expected to be officially approved at a cabinet meeting next Tuesday.

Prefectural and local governments will then draw up their own basic plan that will be reflected in the policy.