(Aging 14: 265-270, 2002)
©2002, Editrice KurtisAging Clin Exp Res, Vol
14, No
4 265ABSTRACT
Japan implemented a new social insurancescheme for the frail and elderly, Long-Term-Care In-surance (LTCI) on 1 April 2000
This was an époque-making event in the history of the Ja panese publichealth policy, because it meant that in modifying its tra-dition of family care for the elderly, Japan had moved to-ward socialization of care
One of the main ideas behindthe establishment of LTCI was to “de-medicalize” and ra-tionalize the care of elderly persons with disabilitiescharacteristic of the aging process
Because of the agingof the society, the Japanese social insurance system re-quired a fundamental reform
The implementation ofLTCI constitutes the first step in the future health reformin J