Singapore can learn from Japan on aging

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said that his country can learn from Japan on managing the aging issue.

Speaking in an interview with Nikkei ahead of his visit to Japan from May 21 to May 23, Lee said that Japan has a lot of experience making arrangements for the old people as the aging issue is more advanced in Japan.

"Physical arrangements, appliances for homes, arrangements for nursing, taking care, keeping in touch with old folks who are living on their own, so that if something happens you can go and give them help. These are areas which we can learn a lot from," he was quoted as saying.

Japan can perhaps learn from Singapore's experience when it comes to population issues, he said.

The immigration issue has been a topic of hot discussions in Singapore in recent years.

"Japan has taken the view that that is too difficult and has been very, very tight on immigration, even on foreign workers. But if you are at some point able to consider that as a politically feasible option, then maybe our experience may be interesting for you to look at," Lee said.

Singapore's population are aging rapidly as people live longer and giving birth to less babies. The fertility rate in Singapore has been extremely low in recent years and it has had to rely on immigration to mitigate the impact. However, the pace of immigration has become a challenging issue.