The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare published the summary version of the 2025 White Paper on Health, Labour and Welfare.
This summary version compactly summarizes the key points of the 2025 White Paper on Health, Labour and Welfare "To Young People Who Will Lead the Next Generation - Understanding the Role of Social Security and Labor Policies in a Changing Society." It aims to convey the importance of social security and labor policies in an easily understandable manner, particularly to young people who will lead the next generation, in response to the rapid progression of population decline and super-aging society.
The summary version prominently introduces results from consciousness surveys targeting 3,000 high school students. While interest in labor fields was highest at around 80%, in social security fields, medical care and pensions were around 60%, welfare and public health just under 50%, and nursing care just over 40%, clearly showing differences in interest levels by field. Additionally, understanding levels in each field remained around 50-60%, highlighting the gap between interest and understanding.
As an important finding, the proportion of high school students with experience in social security education or labor law education both exceeded 60%, with empirical evidence showing that these educational experiences have the effect of enhancing interest and understanding of systems. This result scientifically supports the importance of enhancing education in social security and labor fields in school education.
The summary version uses many figures and graphs for a visually understandable composition to help more citizens understand the white paper content. It organizes important points that young people should know, from basic mechanisms of social security systems to future issues, with anticipated use in educational settings and households.
The article shows that information dissemination and education for younger generations who will support future society has become an important policy issue in Japan facing rapid population structural changes.