Toward a Society that Leaves No One Behind: The Full Picture of the Loneliness and Isolation Measures Promotion Act and Our Role

In modern society, loneliness and isolation are not just individual problems, but urgent issues that need to be addressed by society as a whole. The Loneliness and Isolation Measures Promotion Law, which came into force on April 1, 2024, was a major turning point for Japan to establish a full-fledged legal framework and take systematic measures against this problem.

In this article, we will unravel the enormous data behind this law and the structure of social issues, and explain in detail why this law is necessary now and what is required of each of us.

Table of Contents

Why loneliness and isolation measures now: The reality of numbers

Increasing isolation.

The Cost of Socioeconomic Loss

2. Purpose and Basic Philosophy of Loneliness and Isolation Measures Promotion Act

The Three Pillars of the Law

Understand the Difference Between Solitude and Isolation

3. Details of Specific Measures and the Role of Private Support

Strengthening support for private organizations such as NPOs

Diversification of "exit" of support

What We Can Do: Rebuilding Local Communities

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Why Solitude and Isolation Measures Now: The Reality of Numbers

First, let's look at the actual situation of "loneliness and isolation" behind why the country came to enact the law in numbers.

Increasing isolation.

According to a survey conducted by the Cabinet Office, the proportion of people who feel lonely in some way is not small. The average number of people who answered that they feel lonely is about 16.8% in all ages. Converting this to the population of Japan (about 124 million people), it is estimated that more than 20 million people feel lonely.

Especially shocking is the increase in single-person households. In the 2020 census, the proportion of single-person households reached 38.0% of all households, doubling from about 20% in 1980. This figure suggests that the number of people who live without anyone to rely on is increasing structurally.

The Cost of Socioeconomic Loss

Loneliness and isolation have a tremendous impact not only on mental health but also on the economy. According to one private estimate, the social costs caused by loneliness and isolation (increase in medical expenses, decrease in labor productivity, social security costs such as welfare) are analyzed to reach several trillion yen annually.

Specifically, there is data that people with a strong sense of loneliness are about 1.26 times more likely to develop dementia in the future and the risk of depression jumps about 1.5 times compared to those who do not. In other words, loneliness measures not only improve individual well-being, but also have the national strategic goal of optimizing social security costs.

2. Purpose and Basic Philosophy of Loneliness and Isolation Measures Promotion Act

The Act on Promotion of Measures against Loneliness and Isolation clarifies that we will address this complex issue as "the responsibility of society as a whole."

The Three Pillars of the Law

There are three important pillars to this law.

Clarification of responsibility to promote measures against loneliness and isolation We defined the roles that the national government, local governments, private organizations, and residents should play in their respective positions.

Establishment of the Loneliness and Isolation Countermeasure Promotion Headquarters The "Loneliness and Isolation Countermeasure Promotion Headquarters" was established in the Cabinet, and the Prime Minister served as the head of the Headquarters, enabling the planning of cross-cutting measures that transcend the boundaries of ministries and agencies.

Formulation of Guidelines for the Promotion of Measures against Loneliness and Isolation The national government is obliged to make plans and clarify achievement targets. Based on this, each local government is obliged to make efforts to formulate a "plan for measures against loneliness and isolation."

Understand the Difference Between Solitude and Isolation

In this law, the following definitions are emphasized.

Loneliness: A subjective feeling of lack of connection with others.

Isolation: An objective state of being socially isolated and out of reach of the necessary support.

This law does not simply mean "being alone" as an evil. What it aims at is "a society that avoids isolation and is connected to necessary support when necessary."

3. Details of Specific Measures and the Role of Private Support

How will the implementation of the law change the support system at the field level?

Strengthening support for private organizations such as NPOs

The most important role in the field of loneliness and isolation measures is played by NPOs and volunteer organizations working in the community. Article 14 of the law specifies activity support and strengthening of collaboration with these organizations.

Until now, these private support groups often relied on individual subsidy projects, and their financial base was unstable. However, this law aims to establish a scheme that allows the government to stably support the activities of private organizations. In particular, it is a policy to strengthen public-private partnerships for organizations that provide "location creation" and "consultation support."

Diversification of "exit" of support

Until now, consultation desks have been divided vertically, and in some cases, people are routed to welfare offices if they are in financial trouble or to public health centers if they are mentally distressed. This law strengthens the Loneliness and Isolation Countermeasure Consultation Desk that connects these, and promotes the construction of a non-refusing consultation support system that leads to appropriate support regardless of which consultation desk the person goes to.

What We Can Do: Rebuilding Local Communities

Just because the law is in place does not mean that the government can solve everything. The ultimate success of the loneliness and isolation measures lies in the power of the local community.

Why "small connections" are important

One study shows that people who greet or have a quick conversation with their neighbors at least once a week feel significantly less lonely compared to those who don't.

Participating in community activities at least once a week increases happiness by 15%

Feeling that you have someone to rely on when you're in trouble: Reduces suicide risk by more than 20%

In this way, large public support is important, but "small connections" in daily life are the biggest bulwark to prevent isolation.

A New Place in the Digital Society

In recent years, online communities have also begun to be recognized as "whereabouts." Especially for young people, peer support through SNS (mutual support between friends with the same problem) has an aspect that it is easier to access than existing consultation agencies. In the operation of the legal system, how to hybrid these digital utilization and real whereabouts will be an important key in the future.

5. Summary and Future Prospects

The Act on Promotion of Countermeasures against Loneliness and Isolation is an epoch-making step that reconsiders loneliness, which has been regarded as an "individual problem," as a "social system problem."

In the future, based on this law, the following concrete results are required.

Promotion of visualization: Continue the survey of loneliness and isolation once a year and improve policies based on data.

Developing human resources: Strengthening the allocation of social workers and support personnel specialized in assisting loneliness and isolation.

Economic independence and social belonging: Support for the needy and measures against loneliness should not be separated, and securing employment and eliminating isolation should be promoted as a set.

The last thing I want to emphasize is the fact that everyone can feel "lonely" at some point in their life. It is never embarrassing. With the law, we have an environment where it is easy to say "help."

This is the first step toward truly realizing the spirit of this law, which is to strengthen the social safety net and to have the consciousness that every word "good morning" to a neighbor will save someone's isolation.

I sincerely hope that Japan, where we live, will not develop only in terms of numbers, but will mature into a kind society where no one is truly alone, no one is isolated, and we can care about each other.

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