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The Practical Logic and Empirical Characteristics of Japan's Intergenerational Co-care model Against the Background of Low Birth Rates and Population Aging

Author(s)

Yunjing Gao

Affiliation(s)

College of Educational Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

Abstract

Against the global backdrop of intertwined low birth rates and population aging, how to holistically address the dual needs of elderly care and early childhood education and care has become an important issue in social governance. As one of the earliest countries to enter the stage of low birth rate and population aging, Japan has gradually formed a relatively mature intergenerational co-care model through long-term exploration, providing a referential sample for alleviating care burdens, promoting intergenerational integration, and optimizing community services. From the analytical perspective of intergenerational integration, this paper systematically analyzes the demographic characteristics of low birth rate and population aging in Japan and the resulting social governance dilemmas, clarifies the practical logic of Japan's intergenerational co-care model in terms of institutional guarantees, spatial facilities, service provision, and professional support, and summarizes its empirical characteristics on this basis. The study finds that Japan's intergenerational co-care is not a simple combination of elderly care and childcare resources, but a comprehensive governance practice that realizes intergenerational mutual assistance and social integration through institutional synergy, spatial composite, service integration, and professional support against the background of low birth rate and population aging. Its experience demonstrates that the effective operation of the intergenerational co-care model depends on well-established institutional frameworks, spatial design that balances the differences and interactions between the elderly and young children, service arrangements that attach equal importance to daily routines and cultural elements, and the support of a team of interdisciplinary professionals.

Keywords

Japan; Intergenerational Co-Care Model; Low Birth Rate and Population Aging; Intergenerational Integration; Intergenerational Bonding

References

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