Development of Community Health Care Networks Utilizing Local Community Centers

Objectives: Japan is expected to become the fi rst super-aging society in the world, and the collapse of the Japanese health care system is becoming a real possibility, due to the aging of the society combined with a signifi cant increase in medical expenditure. In Japan, with the majority of land covered by forests, regional disparities between urban and depopulated mountainous areas are becoming greater each year. The importance of health management of the elderly living in these mountainous areas and diseaseprevention measures for them has been noted.