ABSTRACT
Eastern Asia is the most rapidly ageing region in the world. Japan has the largest proportion of older persons, Korea is the fastest ageing country, and China has the largest number of older persons in the world. Recognising the vast challenges of ageing on social, economic, and political developments, each country in the region has launched national strategies and policies on ageing in the past 20 years. This chapter overviews the national demographic indicators and projections and describes the social, economic, and political situations whilst summarising the development of socio-economic and financial policies on ageing following the launch of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing in the past two decades. It also addresses the efforts and progress of countries in Eastern Asia in involving older persons in policy development and reviews the countries’ efforts to promote a positive image of older persons and acknowledge their contributions to society. The experience of Eastern Asia in dealing with the consequences and impacts of COVID-19 on older people is also addressed in the chapter which concludes by delineating the policy priorities for ageing and later life in the region in the foreseeable future.
