On 4 June, the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) held a seminar entitled “Revisiting ‘Population and Development’ from a Well-being Perspective” in Tokyo, Japan. At the beginning, H.E. Fukuda Yasuo, Chair of APDA and Former Prime Minister of Japan, delivered an opening address, followed by a tripartite dialogue of eminent experts. Furthermore, H.E. Kamikawa Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, gave a special lecture on Japan’s well-being initiatives, global issues, and beyond 2030.

Taking COVID-19 measures as an example, the tripartite talk pointed out that while medical treatment could prolong people’s lives, it does not necessarily guarantee their happiness and that respecting people’s will and their proactive choices in life, without being stifled by data or statistics, will lead to a feeling of happiness in life, or well-being. Then the seminar presented the prospect that if the well-being of each and every individual is enhanced, it would foster people’s creativity and sociality and consequently revitalize the Japanese society. (Please see E-Newsletter No.143 for further details.)

The seminar was attended by a total of 80 people, 70 in person and 10 online, including Members of Parliament, representatives of enterprises, media, experts, students, and others, and was covered by various media outlets. In a questionnaire administered to the seminar participants, 67% of the respondents rated the seminar as “Very good” and 33% as “Good”, leaving 0% “Not very good” or “Bad”. Their comments included:

• - I was able to learn about diverse discussions.
• - Happiness decreases with the “feeling of having to do something”.
• - It made me think about how to improve the level of happiness among Japanese people.
• - While some people are good at expressing themselves, others are not; I think that the latter ones may not see the meaning of their existence, which affects their level of happiness.

■Ministry of Foreign Affairs website:
H.E. Kamikawa Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs, delivered a speech at the seminar (Japanese only)