日本迎戰終身學習的新策略：人生100年的「幸福社會」

The Status of Life-long Learning in Senior Society: A Lifetime of 100 Year-A Happy Society with Learning While Aging

一般來說，各國因應高齡社會的相關措施，焦點很容易放在因高齡化而受到影響的醫療、看護、年金、僱用等社會系統的相關議題上。日本的高齡化居世界之冠，除了證明日本經濟社會的發展成功外，對高齡者提供良好的終身學習（日本稱為生涯學習）環境，更是日本活化高齡社會的重要一環。透過終身學習，除了可促進高齡者的生活自立外，也有助於高齡者建構新的人際關係網絡，防止高齡者的社會孤立，同時也能發揮高齡者累積的智慧和經驗，對社區做出貢獻，創造高齡者的生存價值，讓高齡者保持身心健康，創造出讓高齡者活得健康、有意義的幸福高齡社會。有鑑於日本將國民的學習拓展到人生100年的制高點，開展高齡學習的新思維，以迎戰高齡化社會，引領高齡者活出生命的尊嚴和獨立，其所採取的對策值得我們深入探討。
本文主要以日本總務省於2012年公布之《高齡社會的終身學習狀態：人生100年―活到老學到老的幸福社會》報告書內容為基礎，探討：一、日本高齡社會新的價值觀與為充實晚年的百齡人生規劃；二、高齡社會中終身學習政策的方向；三、高齡社會支援終身學習的具體策略；四、日本終身學習新策略的啟示。最後再綜以結語。

Generally speaking, governmental measures to deal with the coming of senior society tend to focus on issues related to social systems such as medicine, senior care, pension, and recruiting. Economic success has made Japan the country with the largest senior population in the world. Providing an environment with good life-long learning for seniors is an important link to galvanize senior society of Japan. For seniors, life-long learning not only promotes independent living but also builds new relationships and social networks which prevent social alienation. Furthermore, life-long learning functions as a setting where seniors’ wisdom and experiences are accumulated and contributed to the community. Creating the life value of the seniors and keeping the seniors’ mind and body sound, life-long learning makes possible a happy senior society where seniors live healthily and meaningfully. Japan has expanded the span of citizen learning to a lifetime of 100 years and has initiated a new perspective for senior learning in order to combat the coming of senior society and in order to make seniors live with dignity and independence. Japan’s strategy is worthy of investigation.
This paper is based on The Status of Life-Long Learning in Senior Society—A Lifetime of 100 Years—A Happy Society with Learning While Aging published in 2012 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan. This paper aims to investigate: 1) the seniors’ new values in Japanese senior society, planning for a substantial later life of 100 years old, 2) the direction of life-long learning policies in senior society, and 3) concrete strategies to support life-long learning in senior society. Finally, in view of Japan’s direction of life-long learning policies, this paper makes suggestions regarding the direction and policies of life-long learning in Taiwan.