Concept
The Global Ageing Study Group (GASG) is a group of Japanese researchers who are interested in the ageing of the population in Africa and Asia, as well as related academic agendas such as social security, health, and welfare. Members include anthropologists, public health practitioners, physicians, demographers, health economists, geographers, and others, covering areas from East Asia, including Japan, to South Asia, and the continent of Africa.
African nations and communities have undergone a variety of social-wide changes since the start of the 21st century. The rapid population growth, the hyper-influx of people into urban areas, the increase in national intervention and social development, and information and communication infrastructure have significantly increased the penetration and establishment of modernity through globalization. Ageing populations pose the challenge of new social design at the national level with enhanced social security, health care and well-being, and the restructuring of all local systems such as labor, livelihood, production, family and households at the local and community level.
The population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has almost doubled over the past decades, with a total population of 1 billion as of 2020. One of the reasons for this population growth is the rise in survival rates due to epidemiological transition and improved health. Along with this, life expectancy, which was only in the 40s, is expected to reach the 70s in 2050 and the 80s in 2100. On the other hand, in recent years, the fertility rate around urban central areas has been declining, and it is certain that the population ratio of the elderly will increase in the latter half of this century. Currently, SSA is experiencing a situation where their birthrate is decreasing while life expectancy is increasing. These trends suggest that in the future, SSA will become a population of advanced-age individuals. That is to say, an era of an ageing population is coming.
From 2012 to the present, GASG has held a forum at the Japanese Association for International Health and has discussed ageing populations not only in Japan but also other areas, especially Asia and Africa, which have traditionally been considered unrelated to ageing. Many of the research results are published in Japanese, but we have launched this website to open our academic achievements and encourage participation in international discussion circles.
Funds
2018-2022
Future Population Ageing in East Africa: A Cross-Disciplinary Study of Social Welfare and Elderly Care. Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI (Grant-in-Aid) Project (PI: Ken MASUDA)
Keywords: Population ageing, East Africa, Anthropology, Social Welfare, Demographic Survey, Global Health, Public Health, Ethnography, Population Dynamics, Care
基盤研究（A）「東アフリカにおける未来の人口高齢化を見据えた福祉とケア空間の学際的探究」（代表：増田研）
人口高齢化 / 東アフリカ / 人類学 / 社会福祉 / 人口動態サーベイ / アフリカ / 国際保健 / 公衆衛生 / 民族誌 / ケア
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2013-2016
Interdisciplinary Study of “Premature Aging” and Cultural Diversity of Aging Care in East Africa. Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) of JSPS (PI: Ken MASUDA)
Keywords: Africa, Older Persons, Ethnography, Gerontology, Sub-Sahara Africa, Population Ageing, Anthropology, Social Protection, Public Health, Global Ageing, Elderly Care, Social Anthropology, Global Ageing, Medical Anthropology, Care, Nursing
基盤研究（B）「東アフリカにおける「早すぎる高齢化」とケアの多様性をめぐる学際的研究」（代表：増田研）
アフリカ / 高齢者 / 民族誌 / 老年学 / 社会福祉 / サブサハラアフリカ / 人口高齢化 / 人類学 / 社会保障 / 公衆衛生 / 国際保健 / 公衆衛生学 / 高齢者ケア / 社会人類学 / 少子高齢化 / グローバルエイジング / 文化人類学 / 医療人類学 / 介護
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Cooperating with
2020-2023
The circuit of care practice in Sri Lanka after the tsunami disaster: Ecology of religion and life over the dementia (PI: Ayumi NOMURA)
基盤研究（C）「津波被災後のスリランカにおけるケア実践の回路：認知症をめぐる宗教と生の生態学」（代表：野村亜由美）
2019-2022
Policies and Challenges of Older Persons living in Urban Area in Sub-Sahara Africa (PI: Hideki YAMAMOTO)
Keywords: Sub-Sahara Africa, Population Ageing, Urbanization, Mutual Support, Kominkan (Community Learning Center)
挑戦的研究（萌芽）「サハラ以南アフリカ地域における都市部高齢者の課題と政策研究」（代表：山本秀樹）
サブサハラアフリカ / 高齢化 / 都市化 / 共助 / 公民館
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2013-2018
Interdisciplinary study between post-traumatic resilience and emerging endemic senile dementia after tsunami disaster: Toward a fruitful aging society. Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) of JSPS (PI: Ayumi NOMURA)
Keywords: Dementia, Sri Lanka, Medical Anthropology
基盤研究（B）「津波被災後の高齢者の外傷後成長と認知症に関する学際的研究：老いの成熟を目指して」（代表：野村亜由美）
認知症 / スリランカ / 医療人類学 / 津波 / 老い / 外傷後成長 / PTSD / PTGI / 伝統医療 / PTSD / PTGI / 老いの成熟 / 民族史 / Global Aging / Aging / ドミニカ共和国 / 高齢者 / 異文化看護
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2012-2015
Challenges of Global Aging without Borders: Studies on the Recommendations by an Interdisciplinary Network Originating in Japan to Support the Sharing of Experiences and Mutual Respect. (Project Leader: Nanako TAMIYA, Tsukuba University) Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Promote global health challenges research project) (PI: Nanako TAMIYA)
厚生労働省地球規模保健課題推進研究（地球規模保健課題推進研究）「グローバルエイジングへの国境なき挑戦ー経験の共有と尊重を支える日本発学際ネットワークによる提言に関する研究」（代表：田宮菜奈子）
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