Spain-Japan Summit on Longevity and Longevity Societies

CENIE, the centre for the study of longevity dependent on the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca, held the Spain-Japan Summit on Longevity and Longevity Societies on 25 and 26 April 2024, a meeting whose main objectives were to learn about, analyse and exchange knowledge and experiences regarding the challenge and opportunities posed by the reality of the new longevity societies.

Although Japan is still the longest-living country in the world, it will not be for long. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, Spain will succeed Japan in 2040. For this reason, the Spain-Japan Summit aims to open up a space for dialogue between the two nations, to compare successful actions and embark on a path of common learning. Doing so from a multidisciplinary perspective will be of utmost importance, given the similar demographic condition that will bring the two nations closer together in the immediate future.

Understanding longevity from a comprehensive perspective will allow us to understand the value of this new reality, both a cause and a consequence of the socio-demographic change in which we are immersed. This will help us to identify the opportunities for development of this new longevity and to build responses to the challenges in order to guarantee the greatest and most common social welfare, from the economic, scientific, care and global change perspectives.

Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Summit was attended by David Díez Martín, acting Rector of the University of Salamanca; Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones Fernández, Minister for the Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning of the Regional Government of Castilla y León; Shinji Minami, Minister of the Embassy of Japan in Spain; Francisco Machancoses Mingacho, Deputy Director General for Social, Educational, Cultural and Health and Consumer Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation; Isabel Macías Tello, Councillor for the Elderly of Salamanca City Council, and Hélder Fernandes, from the Bragança Polytechnic Institute.
Hélder Fernandes, from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, valued the development of the Summit, assuring that it will allow an exchange of experiences with the clear objective of not only discussing how to live longer, but also how to live better, while Isabel Macías Tello, Councillor for the Elderly of Salamanca City Council, stressed that "with this type of meeting we continue to strengthen the relationship between Salamanca and Japan", highlighting that "Salamanca is committed to its elderly and to addressing their needs".

For Francisco Machancoses Mingacho, Deputy Director General for Social, Educational, Cultural and Health and Consumer Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, this Summit raises awareness of a relevant issue for society, where it is necessary to continue advancing in social rights with a clear focus on policies for the elderly.

Along the same lines, Shinji Minami, Minister of the Japanese Embassy in Spain, pointed out that both countries, with such different cultures and traditions, share a common social challenge: ageing. This Summit, in his opinion, constitutes a significant advance in various matters and areas to address the opportunities of ageing societies, which are no longer just a matter for developed countries.

Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones Fernández, Regional Minister for the Environment, Housing and Territorial Planning of the Regional Government of Castilla y León, indicated that the Summit allows for the exchange of experiences of experts in order to dialogue and make progress in improving the management of the challenges and opportunities presented by ageing societies. For his part, David Díez Martín, acting Rector of the University of Salamanca, closed the opening ceremony by pointing out that the Summit strengthens the relations between the Japanese nation and Salamanca. In his opinion, the challenges of longevity are many and varied, and universities devote a lot of time, studies and analysis in different disciplines to respond to these opportunities.

Economics of Longevity

Óscar González Benito, Director of the General Foundation of the University of Salamanca, moderated the round table discussion on the Economics of Longevity, with the participation of Atsushi Seike, from Keio University and President of the Japanese Red Cross, and Enrique Cabero, President of the Economic and Social Council of Castilla y León.

During his introduction, Óscar González Benito, director of the FGUSAL, reflected on the fact that living longer also has to do with and is compatible with the quality of health (physical and mental), social (urbanisation, services, etc.) and financial health. The latter, he said, must be stable and viable in economic terms over the years.

Enrique Cabero, President of the Economic and Social Council of Castilla y León, wanted to highlight the value of the study 'Economics of Longevity in Castilla y León', a report carried out by Oxford Economics, in collaboration with the University of Salamanca, through CENIE, which offers a transversal vision of the economic impact of the activities carried out by the population over 50 years of age. "This report has provided a solid basis for further study of the new longevity society and, as I mentioned earlier, the Council is planning a second report to develop issues that the Council considers essential to address its challenges". Atsushi Seike of Keio University and President of the Japanese Red Cross Society emphasised during his presentation that "if the number of older people willing and able to continue working beyond the current retirement age increases, the average per capita social security burden will be reduced. And increasing the number of active workers and consumers in their old age will also be a driving force for economic growth, both on the supply and demand side".

Care and Longevity Societies

The round table dedicated to Care and Longevity Societies was led by Ignacio Álvarez, former Secretary of State for Social Rights, who introduced the dialogue and exchange of experiences between Hiroko Akiyama, gerontologist and Professor Emerita at the University of Tokyo, and María Teresa Sancho, Director General of IMSERSO.

On the subject of care and the policies that should be generated around this type of situation, Ignacio Álvarez, former Secretary of State for Social Rights, pointed out that the challenges facing developed societies in the area of long-term care require "being bold in terms of public policies. The welfare state has been one of the most successful political projects in the history of Europe, and also in Japan, building a safety net for citizens and providing very positive collective responses to social, economic and health risks. However, this political project needs to be updated to meet the new realities and challenges of our countries.

During the dialogue of the panellists, the intervention of Hiroko Akiyama, gerontologist and Professor Emerita of the University of Tokyo, stood out, who pointed out that "we have to redesign both physical and immaterial infrastructures to meet the needs of an ageing society. We want to build communities where people of all ages stay healthy, active, connected and live with a sense of security. In this respect, he highlighted the project being developed with these precepts in the city of Kashiwa, Japan, adding that this type of initiative "requires not only collaboration between researchers from different disciplines, but also full collaboration with citizens, local governments, the business community and other organisations, such as medical associations and non-profit organisations".
María Teresa Sancho, Director General of IMSERSO, elaborated on the meaning behind longevity care and two closely related concepts: complexity (a very diverse population) and the interdependence that is generated. He added that the important thing should be to "age with pleasure", where social and family ties are important for people to want to live and have the will to live, an element common, in his opinion, between Spain and Japan.

Science and Longevity

The distinguished Professor of Physiology and CENIE collaborator, Consuelo Borrás, had the honour of moderating the round table with the participation of Noboru Mizushima, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Tokyo, and Ana María Cuervo, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The three scientists discussed the challenges and opportunities of Science and Longevity.

Consuelo Borrás, Professor of Physiology and CENIE collaborator, began her introduction by pointing out that "we are currently facing particular challenges related to the search for healthy ageing. However, the increase in life expectancy has led to a decrease in the quality of life in these later stages". In her opinion, this scenario constitutes the real challenge, that of unlocking the biological secrets of ageing in order to better understand this process, which "will make it possible to develop appropriate interventions to not only add years to life, but also life to years and reduce the medical, economic and social problems associated with the elderly".

In this respect, Ana María Cuervo, from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, delved into the biological secrets of ageing, pointing out that "the accumulation of toxic proteins inside cells occurs with age and is the basis of diseases that affect our elders, such as Alzheimer's disease. To prevent the toxic effect of these proteins, all the body's cells, including those in the brain, have surveillance mechanisms that identify any toxic proteins and eliminate them from inside the cells through a process known as autophagy. However, said Ana María Cuervo, these mechanisms for monitoring the quality of proteins inside cells become less active as we age.

Noboru Mizushima, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Tokyo, explained that "approximately 2% of the cells that make up our body are replaced every day. However, some types of cells, such as nerve cells, have a long lifespan. Even in these long-lived cells, their contents are replaced. Autophagy is one of the mechanisms that break down the material inside the cell. Autophagy, says Noboru Mizushima, has multiple functions, including the basic replacement of cellular components, the removal of unwanted materials and the recycling of nutrients for self-feeding. Thus, "autophagy is an important intracellular 'scavenger'. In fact, animal experiments and human genetics have suggested that autophagy can prevent many diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, and also has an anti-ageing effect".

Global Change and Longevity

The last dialogue of the Spain-Japan Summit on Longevity and Longevity Societies was led by José-Abel Flores, Director of the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre of the University of Salamanca, who was responsible for introducing Kenji Hiramatsu, President of the Institute for International Strategy, Japan Research Institute, and former Ambassador of Japan to Spain, and Pedro Jordano, President of the Environmental Sciences and Technologies area at the State Research Agency.

During his speech, José-Abel Flores, Director of the Spanish-Japanese Cultural Centre of the University of Salamanca, made a call regarding the effects of the "great acceleration", a phenomenon that has triggered all indicators, in all areas, including population, which, in his opinion, can be called "Global Change", where we as human beings modify everything.

Kenji Hiramatsu, President of the Institute for International Strategy, Japan Research Institute, and former Japanese Ambassador to Spain, with extensive experience in Climate Change issues, focused his presentation on showing the impact that the ageing of the population has on the environment. Through a series of graphs and data, he presented the trends observed in Japan, stating that "one example is the deterioration of the socio-ecological landscapes known as Satoyama. The relationship between climate change and longevity is predominantly perceived in a negative way. But long-lived societies can have a positive impact on the planet's environment if we can harness the potential of older people". Pedro Jordano, president of the Environmental Sciences and Technologies area at the State Research Agency, elaborated on the topic by explaining that while it is difficult to show a direct connection between Global Change and longevity, it exists and has important effects at all levels. He added that all the changes that have been accelerating in recent years have the human being as a common axis.

Second day

The day of 26 April was held internally and three working groups were formed: Economics of Longevity, Science and Longevity, and Care and Longevity Societies.

In each group, in addition to the experts, representatives from the Conselho Económico e Social de Portugal and the Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, CENIE partners in the New Longevity Societies project, participated. The aim was to set up stable working groups that favour the transfer of knowledge between Spain, Japan and Portugal, strengthen ties and share advances in the field of longevity in order to generate guidelines that serve as vectors in the decision-making process of the different social actors.

The Spain-Japan Summit is part of the New Longevity Societies project, approved within the framework of the Interreg VI-A Programme, Spain-Portugal, (POCTEP), 2021-2027, of the European Regional Development Fund ("FEDER").

(de izquierda a derecha): Isabel Macías Tello, concejala delegada de Mayores del Ayuntamiento de Salamanca; Shinji Minami, ministro de la Embajada del Japón en España; David Díez Martín, rector de la Universidad de Salamanca en funciones; Juan Carlos Suárez-Quiñones Fernández, consejero de Medio Ambiente, Vivienda y Ordenación del Territorio de la Junta de Castilla y León; Francisco Machancoses Mingacho, subdirector general de Asuntos Sociales, Educativos, Culturales y de Sanidad y Consumo del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación, y Hélder Fernandes, del Instituto Politécnico de Bragança.

(de izquierda a derecha): Óscar González Benito, director de la Fundación General de la Universidad de Salamanca; Enrique Cabero, presidente del Consejo Económico y Social de Castilla y León, y Atsushi Seike, de la Keio University y presidente de la Cruz Roja Japonesa (streaming).

(de izquierda a derecha): María Teresa Sancho, directora general de IMSERSO; Ignacio Álvarez, exsecretario de Estado de Derechos Sociales, e Hiroko Akiyama, gerontóloga y Professor Emerita de la University of Tokyo.

(de izquierda a derecha): Noboru Mizushima, profesor de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular de la University of Tokyo; Consuelo Borrás, catedrática de Fisiología y colaboradora del CENIE, y Ana María Cuervo, del Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

(de izquierda a derecha): Pedro Jordano, presidente del área de Ciencias y Tecnologías Medioambientales en la Agencia Estatal de Investigación; José-Abel Flores, director del Centro Cultural Hispano Japonés de la Universidad de Salamanca, y Kenji Hiramatsu, presidente del Instituto de Estrategia Internacional, Japan Research Institute, y exembajador del Japón en España.