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Signature Project: "Addressing Labor Shortages Due to Low Birth Rates and Aging Population in the APEC Region"

This project is a Signature Project jointly proposed by Japan and Korea at the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) in August 2024. The Asia-Pacific region is a driving force of global economic growth, but many advanced economies in the region are rapidly experiencing low birth rates and aging populations. These demographic shifts are beginning to manifest in the form of labor shortages and shrinking domestic markets. To address these challenges, the project focuses on key policy areas such as enhancing productivity, developing human resources and skills, promoting cross-border labor mobility with skills, and strengthening social security systems through the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The project advocates for APEC to prioritize low fertility and aging populations in its agenda, share best practices, develop effective regional approaches to these issues, and further promote sectoral cooperation that contributes to long-term regional integration.

Commentaries from experts in Japan, Korea, China, Chinese Taipei, and Canada can be found here:

• Unmarried Adults and Gender Equality Matter in Low Fertility Contexts by Yen-hsin Alice CHENG (Research Fellow, Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica) (Chinese Taipei)
• Challenges and Policy Directions for Sustaining Economic Growth and Enhancing Productivity in an Aging Society by Keiko ITO (Professor, Chiba University) (Japan)
• Demography, Trade, and Social Policy: Comparisons with a Hundred Years Ago by Yasuhiro KAMIMURA (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University) (Japan)
• What We Need to Do to Overcome Korea's Ultra-low Fertility Rate by Nayoung KIM (Research Fellow, Korea Institute of Child Care and Education) (Korea)
• Successes and Failures of Cross-border Temporary Labour Migration Policies in Addressing Labour Shortages and Enhancing Economic Productivity by Sharon Zhengyang SUN (Distinguished Fellow, Asia Pacific Foundation and Canada West Foundation), Stephany Laverty (Senior Policy Analyst, Canada West Foundation) (Canada)
• Challenges and Policy Directions for Sustaining Economic Growth and Enhancing Productivity in an Aging Society by Yuan XIN (Professor, School of Economics, Nankai University) (China)
• Shaping the Future Together: Lessons from Korea on Rethinking Policy Paradigms for Fertility Recovery by Jin Sung YOO (Senior Research Fellow, Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI)) (Korea)

JANCPEC activities

National/regional committees support PECC's activities at the domestic level. In Japan, the Japan National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (JANCPEC) coordinates domestic activities pertinent to PECC's international activities and serves as a core organization for promoting Pacific region cooperation activities in Japan. Its membership comprises about 80 leading figures from Japanese industry, academia and government, and JANCPEC holds a national conference once or twice each year.

Japan National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (JANCPEC)
   Chair
      Kenichiro Sasae, President, The Japan Institute of International Affairs
   Executive Director
      Tomoyuki Yoshida, Chief Executive Director, The Japan Institute of International Affairs
   Location of secretariat
      3rd Floor Toranomon Daibiru-East Building
      3-8-1 Kasumigaseki
      Chiyodaku, Tokyo
      Japan 100-0013
      (inside the Japan Institute of International Affairs)

   Tel: (03) 3503-7744        +81-3-3503-7744 (from outside Japan)
   Fax: (03) 3503-6707        +81-3-3503-6707 (from outside Japan)
   E-mail:

JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project 2012-17
JANCPEC has been engaged in the Social Resilience Research Project (SR Project) since 2010. In the SR Project 2012-17, research is being conducted on the modalities of social security systems and measures for inclusive growth, etc., in the countries below.

Research report for 2015-17 JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project completed!
2015-17 SR Project Report Final Report

Research report for 2014-15 JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project completed!
2014-15 SR Project Report Final Report

Research report for 2012-14 JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project completed!
2012-14 SR Project Report Final Report

Research report for 2011 JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project completed!
2011 SR Project Report Final Report

JANCPEC Social Resilience Project (SR Project) 2011 International Workshop
The PECC International Workshop on Social Resilience Project 2011 was held at Plaza Hall, Kasumigaseki Building, Tokyo on July 25, 2011. Details of the Workshop can be found below (Video streaming is also available):

    [PECC International Workshop on Social Resilience Project 2011]

JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project 2011
The 19th PECC General Meeting held in Tokyo in October 2010 approved the continuation of JANCPEC's Social Resilience Research Project (SR Project) into 2011. In SR Project 2011, research members will examine the current status and prospects of the economies not addressed in last year's research and pursue horizontal research that gives due consideration to the mutual interactions between areas of study. Similar to last year, the Project will have a four-fold focus: the pension systems, medicare systems, unemployment insurance systems, and macro analysis. The research members are listed below.

    SR Project 2011

Research report for 2010 JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project completed!
The Social Resilience Research Project being undertaken by the Japan National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (JANCPEC) was officially approved as a PECC International Project at the PECC General Meeting held in Singapore from October 9-10, 2009. The Social Resilience Research Project ("SR Project") entails social policy research to support sustained growth and comprises four teams studying pensions, medicare, unemployment insurance and macro analysis in Asia.

The PECC International Workshop on the Social Resilience Project took place at the International House of Japan in Tokyo from March 4-5, 2010, and featured interim reports of research findings. The leaders of the four research teams subsequently reported on their research results at the 19th PECC General Meeting held on October 21, 2010. Published copies of the research report for this year's SR Project were distributed to participants during the 19th PECC General Meeting.

This report contains an executive summary as well as papers authored by members of the four research teams (pensions, medicare, unemployment insurance, and macro analysis). Contained in the executive summary are policy recommendations derived from the research findings that were also presented to the APEC Ministerial Meeting. The release of this report marks an end to this year's activities, but the PECC Standing Committee has given its approval for the SR Project to be continued next year and beyond in view of the importance of the topics it covers.

    2010 SR Project Report Final Report
      Contents, Foreword, Executive Summary
      1. Pension System
      2. Medicare System
      3. Unemployment Insurance System
      4. Macro Analysis

JANCPEC Social Resilience Project (SR Project) 2010 International Workshop
We held PECC International Workshop on Social Resilience Project in Tokyo on March 4-5, 2010. The summary report of the Workshop is available below. SR Project session will be held in October 2010 at the 19th PECC General Meeting in Tokyo. In addition, we will publish a final report of the SR Project and prepare draft policy proposals for PECC and APEC 2010.

    PECC International Workshop on Social Resilience

The Kick-Off!! "JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project"
The PECC officially approved the "JANCPEC Social Resilience Research Project" as a PECC International Project at the Singapore conference (October 9-11, 2009) entitled "Economic Crisis and Recovery: Enhancing Resilience, Structural Reform, and Freer Trade in the Asia-Pacific Region"(http://www.pecc.org/). The Social Resilience Research Project (SR Project) is the first ambitious attempt by the APEC/PECC family to discuss social policy in the Asia-Pacific region in depth. APEC and PECC have long argued for the liberalization of investment and trade. Looking beyond the economic crisis, the time has come for individual Asian countries to address domestic social policies in earnest and to discuss the sense of security of those persons who underpin liberalization and brisk domestic demand as well as social safety nets for them in connection with a major paradigm shift toward the construction of a resilient model for sustained economic growth. Given this scope, the SR Project has a four-fold focus: the pension systems, medicare systems, unemployment insurance systems in the Asia-Pacific region, and a macro analysis. Details of the SR Project are available in this file.

    Social Resilience Project Team

    JANCPEC Social Resilience Project

What is PECC?

The Japan Institute of International Affairs serves as the secretariat of the Japan National Committee for the Pacific Economic Cooperation (JANCPEC). Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae is the JANCPEC chair.

The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council is an independent and unofficial regional mechanism to advance economic cooperation and market-driven integration. PECC is a unique partnership of business, government and intellectual leaders engaged in their private capacities to promote economic growth, social progress, scientific and technological development, and environmental conservation. Founded in 1980 at the initiative of Masayoshi Ohira and Malcom Fraser, then prime ministers of Japan and Australia, PECC organizes task forces, project groups and forums. PECC has twenty-four full Member Committees and one Associate Member from economies in the Pacific region. The Japan National Committee consists of over one hundred representatives of business, government and the academy.

    Further information is available at: www.pecc.org/