A fundamental restructuring of the community-based childcare system is required. Childcare should be recognized as a universal right rather than a selective welfare service, with governments assuming primary responsibility for stable provision. Given diverse childcare needs, services should expand beyond after-school care to include vacation, evening, and emergency care. Fragmented delivery systems across schools and local institutions should also be integrated, with more user-centered operations and strengthened support for children with special needs.
To respond to rapid population aging, it is necessary to enhance a public, community-based care system for older adults. Care provision should shift from a market-driven and facility-centered model to an integrated system that supports aging in place. Strengthening coordination among healthcare, long-term care, and welfare services is essential, alongside improving working conditions and professionalism of care workers. Expanding community safety nets is also critical to prevent care gaps among vulnerable elderly populations.
Policies for older adults should promote active social participation rather than focusing solely on income support. Opportunities for meaningful engagement should be expanded by linking older adults’ skills and experience with community activities. Diverse participation models should be developed, supported by health, education, and community-based programs to ensure sustained engagement.
A transition toward gender-equal and diversity-based population policy is also necessary. Instead of focusing narrowly on fertility rates, policies should address structural factors affecting quality of life, including gender inequality in the labor market and unequal care burdens. Institutional recognition of diverse family forms should be strengthened, and discriminatory elements removed, while ensuring reproductive rights and embedding gender equality as a core principle.
Finally, immigration policy should shift toward a settlement-oriented approach. Rather than serving solely as a labor supply mechanism, it should support migrants in becoming stable members of local communities. This requires improving access to housing, education, healthcare, and social protection, while establishing pathways for locally raised migrant-background populations to settle. Strengthening multicultural acceptance and region-specific strategies will be important for social integration and addressing population decline.