Hasso-Plattner-Institut
HPI Digital Health Cluster
 

30.09.2019

What Germany Can Learn From Japan About Healthcare Digitisation

New Digital Healthcare Report

What Germany Can Learn From Japan About Healthcare Digitisation

A new digital healthcare report by the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) compares the digital health ecosystems and developments in Japan and Germany and describes how digitisation of the health sector can lead to a sustainable healthcare system and open up new business opportunities at the same time. The report “Big Health Data, Big Health Opportunities” is authored by digital health expert Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, head of the HPI Digital Health Center.

Demographic decline is a key challenge for many countries and their health systems, including Germany and Japan. As one of the fastest aging nations, Japan has taken a new strategic approach. It created a new regulatory framework for a next-generation healthcare system where medical data and technology will be more usable. What can Germany learn from Japan’s new strategy?

The new digital healthcare report “Big Health Data, Big Health Opportunities” which is authored by digital health expert Prof. Dr. Erwin Böttinger, head of the HPI Digital Health Center, compares the digital health ecosystems and developments in Japan and Germany and describes how digitisation of the health sector can lead to a sustainable healthcare system and open up new business opportunities at the same time.  

In the last 60 years, the proportion of the world population aged 65 and above has almost doubled from 5 percent to over 9 percent. One-fifth of Japanese citizens are 70 years of age or older, putting the country at the forefront of demographic changes now facing many other developed countries including Germany. Taking this unprecedented situation as a transformative opportunity, the Government of Japan is working on creating a new patient-oriented healthcare system for generations to come. This report introduces key initiatives by the Government of Japan that include data and technological innovations to promote healthier lifestyles, as well as business opportunities for foreign companies with Japan in this new digital economy of an aging society.