Shin Sang-jin, the mayor of Seongnam, expressed on August 21 that “visiting Japan to observe advanced care practices in healthcare and nursing will provide meaningful insights for future policy design.”
The mayor announced that he will visit Nagoya from August 23 to 25 to explore advanced cases for responding to an aging society and to expand cooperation with the city of Nagoya.
The main goal of this visit is to refine the policy direction of the 'Seongnam-style Home End-of-Life Care' initiative that Mayor Shin is promoting.
On August 24, Mayor Shin and his delegation plan to visit home healthcare institutions and long-term care facilities in Nagoya to examine the medical, nursing, and care linkage systems that support elderly individuals in continuing to live in their communities.
In particular, the mayor aims to focus on Japan's community-based care system and explore how to apply successful cases observed on-site to Seongnam's community care policies.
Citizens have voiced their support for this initiative, stating, “It is important to implement policies that allow the elderly to live healthily and with dignity in familiar homes and communities rather than in hospitals or facilities. We hope that Japan's examples can be effectively adapted to Seongnam's realities to create tangible benefits for citizens.”
On August 25, Mayor Shin will meet with Ichiro Hirokawa, the mayor of Nagoya, to discuss policies addressing the aging society and ways to enhance industrial and economic exchanges between the two cities.
Following this, he will visit the Vantelin Dome Nagoya, home of the Chunichi Dragons, to benchmark facility operations and management practices for the baseball stadium being developed in Seongnam.
Additionally, the delegation plans to visit the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) based in Nagoya to discuss key agendas and programs for the 17th Asia High-Level Forum on Sustainable Transport (EST) scheduled to be held in Seongnam in 2027, as well as participation from overseas cities and experts.
Mayor Shin Sang-jin emphasized, “We will adapt successful cases to Seongnam's conditions to establish a care system that allows citizens to enjoy healthy and dignified aging in their communities.”
He added, “We will also strengthen our cooperation with Nagoya to ensure the successful advancement of key issues in Seongnam, including the construction of the baseball stadium and the sustainable transport forum.”
This visit to Nagoya is expected to serve as an opportunity to examine Seongnam's key issues, from care policies for an aging society to urban exchanges and sports and transportation sectors, and to seek solutions for future policies.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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