G7 Kurashiki Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in Okayama Follow-up Event

As countries worldwide face a slowdown in the working-age population, "human capital" is becoming increasingly important. It is crucial to invest in human capital in line with social and economic changes, and to create an environment where people can play an active role according to their motivation and abilities regardless of gender, age, or other factors.
Against this backdrop, the G7 Kurashiki Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting in Okayama was held on April 22 and 23 under the theme "Investing in Human Capital."

The purpose of this event is to support and follow up on the above G7 meeting, with shedding light on the Kibichuo Town Digital Garden Health Special Zone as an example. Respecting the voices of youth who will be the protagonists of our society, the event discusses how to realize next-generation work styles and workplaces ("Work-VA") and human capital investment through the integration of “technological innovation” such as digital technology and “social innovation” such as work style reform. Based on such discussion, it will then focus on how to improve resilience and human capital well-being of the entire community, including the workplace, through investment in human capital.

Aims and Objectives of this Event
While the advent of innovative artificial intelligence and digital technologies in recent years is expected to bring about significant improvements in operational efficiency and labors’ well-being, the viability of the industry and the nature of labor itself are now being questioned. In addition, there is a need to prepare for unprecedented crises and threats, such as new infections, to respond when they actually occur, and to be more resilient afterward. On the other hand, reforms in work styles will be promoted in various fields, such as the start of overtime and holiday work caps for physicians in April 2024 in Japan.

Amid such dramatic social change, we believe that investment in human capital, while preserving what needs to be kept, promotes innovation through diversity and inclusion, and improves the well-being of the entire community, including those working there. For this reason, we in Okayama are promoting the Kibichuo Town Digital Garden Health Special Zone as a cutting-edge example where both working healthcare professionals and patients/residents benefit from digital technology.

Based on the latest trends in work style reform in the healthcare sector, this event will shed light on the Kibichuo Town Digital Garden Health Special Zone as an example, and introduce efforts to efficiently utilize limited healthcare human resources in the region and improve the healthcare work environment using data and digital technology. Respecting the voices of youth who will be the protagonists of society in our future society, it will then discuss the importance of investing in human capital, ensuring the sustainability of social security, including healthcare, and achieving the SDGs at the regional level.

Through these efforts, we will propose "Work-VA (work style and workplace)," a next-generation way of working and a place to work where "anybody can dream about whoever they want to be" by organically integrating technological innovation through digital technology and social innovation such as reforms of work styles and regulations, and disseminate this concept to other industrial areas and other regions in Japan and abroad that aim to achieve the SDGs.

Date: May 14, 2023 (Sun.) 9:50-12:00
Place: Okayama Visionary Commons (OUX)(3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama City)
Online participation is also possible. The session will be held in a hybrid format.

Program:
9:50 Opening Remarks: President NASU Yasutomo, President of Okayama University
Video Message: H.R.H. Princess Dr. Abze Djigma
10:00 Keynote Speech: (TBA)
10:30 Presentation　
Dr. MAKI Jota,
Architect, Kibichuo Town Digital Garden City Promotion Council
(Assistant to the Chief Architect for Medical and Nursing Care),
Lecturer, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Okayama University Hospital
“The Role of Universities in the Formation of "Active VA"
- "Ideal Work-VA" from the Perspective of Creating Engaged Communities” -
Dr. SUDA Masei,
Architect, Chino City Digital Garden Health Special Zone (Suwa Central Hospital)
“The Challenge of Shifting Tasks to Make it More Motivating and Rewarding"
11:10 Panel Discussion
“Building a Career that is True to You:
What is the Ideal Work-VA that Expands Your Potential?” (tentative)
Chairperson: Dr. MAEDA Yoshinobu, Director, Okayama University Hospital　
Moderator: Prof. MORI Keiko,
Professor, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Okayama University
Dr. MAKI Jota, (same as above)
Dr. SUDA Masei (same as above)
Youth Representative 1: KISHABA Tomoki,
5th year student, Faculty of Medicine, Okayama University, One Young World Ambassador
Youth Representative 2: KATO Yuiko,
3rd year student, Faculty of Health Science, Okayama University, SDGs Ambassador “Copain”
11:55 Declaration

Participants: Anyone is welcome to attend.
Medical professionals, high school and college students are welcome to attend.
Participation is free of charge.

Organizer:Okayama University
Co-sponsor:Kibichuo Town Digital Garden City Promotion Council
Collaborator:One Young World Japan Committee
Supported by:G7 Kurashiki Labor and Employment Ministers’ Meeting Supporting Project (tentative)