Japan National Research Articles

Focused Ion Beam Imaging of Defects in Multicrystalline Si for Photovoltaic Application

for Photovoltaic Application Y. Miyamuraa,∗, T. Sekiguchi, J. Chen, J.Y. Li, K. Watanabe, K. Kumagai and A. Ogura MANA Nanoelectronic Materials Unit, National Institute for Materials Science 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, Kawasaki 214-8571, Japan National Metrology Institute of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565, Japan

Contemporary Conflicts in the Asia Pacific Region: Professional Lecture by Walden Bello

The Asia Pacific has entered a period of intense destabilization. This has multiple causes, but in my view, there are three principal causes of instability: (1) the so-called US Pivot to Asia; (2) China’s aggressive territorial claims in the South China Sea West Philippine Sea; and (3) resurgent right-wing nationalism in Japan.

Japanese Cancer Association Meeting UICC International Session - What is Cost-effectiveness in Cancer Treatment?

The Japan National Committee for the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and UICC-Asia Regional Office (ARO) organized an international session as part of the official program of the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Cancer Association to discuss the topic "What is cost-effectiveness in cancer treatment? " Healthcare economics are an international concern and a key issue for the UICC. The presenters and participants discussed the question of how limited medical resources can be best used to support life, which is a question that applies to both developing and industrialized countries, given that cancer treatment is putting medical systems under increasing strain. The emergence of advanced yet hugely expensive drugs has prompted discussion on methodologies for Health Technology Assessment (HTA) that seek to quantify cost and effect. The session benefited from the participation of various stakeholders, including representatives of industry, government and academia and three speakers from the Republic of Korea, an Asian country where discussion on HTA methodologies is already advanced. In addition, the session was joined by a representative of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) of the United Kingdom, which has pioneered the concept of cost-effectiveness in a medical context. The aim of the session was to advance and deepen understanding of the issue of cost-effectiveness as viewed from medical care systems in different regions.

Echoes of tradition: Liang Qichao’s reflections on the Italian Risorgimento and the construction of Chinese nationalism

This paper examines how Liang Qichao viewed the Italian Risorgimento, with the focus on his reflections on its meanings in the historical contexts of Chinese politics and tradition. It will identify and analyze the many forces and ideas that influenced Liang as he formulated his reflections, especially the timing around the turn of the twentieth century and the discourses of nascent nationalism in Japan where Liang lived in exile. The way Liang created – or recreated – the Italian story demonstrated that the Chinese had finally begun to realize a crucial point about the building of a modern nation. While Britain, the United States, and France were able to build a modern nation by starting from the grass roots and more closely observing Enlightenment ideals, China did not have the luxury or the time to follow the same path. In the age of high imperialism, the weak would simply be weeded out quickly. Without national salvation, there could be no modern nation. National salvation, as exemplified by the Risorgimento, involved maintaining and glorifying the country’s own traditions and core values, which would in turn unify different social segments. Liang and his fellow reformers realized the importance of having simultaneously a national cause, a single political party, and a single leader, instead of having to take separate steps toward awakening. Liang’s awakening paved the way for the unfolding of the great Chinese revolutions of the twentieth century, led first by the Kuomintang and then by the Communists. Following Liang’s track of thinking, they both strived to build – or rebuild – a political centralism.

Memories of Japanese militarism: The Yasukuni Shrine as a commemorative site

The annual official visits of Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine, a Shinto commemorative site, have led to considerable controversy throughout Asia. While there are those within Japan who insist that it is a politician's duty to pay tribute to the past, many others view the shrine as a symbol of militarism, a reminder of Japan's colonial past and the visits as an act of provocation to those who suffered under Japan's rule. The fact that, among the worshiped, are the spiritual essences of 14 War Criminals has frequently served as a public lightning rod in this conflict. In our study of the Yasukuni Shrine and the associated Yûshûkan war museum, we explore the memories of the Asia-Pacific War supported by this shrine. In our analysis, problematic, nationalistic arguments emerge. In summary, the Yasukuni Shrine and the Yûshûkan are constructing and promoting memories of the Asia-Pacific War as a war of self-defense. Indirectly the shrine, therefore, promotes attitudes of militarism as well as a historical world view distinctly at odds with that of Japan's neighbors. By examining the war memories connected to the Yasukuni, we also bring to attention the rise of nationalism and militarism in contemporary Japan.

From the January issue of JAMDA

The EASY-Care Standard, used to assess the health and care needs of older individuals, is widely accepted by patients and physicians across poor, middle-income, and rich countries, according to a new multicenter study. Led by Keir E. Philip, MBChB, BSc, of Royal Free Hospital in Bristol, United Kingdom, researchers wanted to evaluate the EASY-Care Standard (2010) from the perspective of health care workers and patients in six countries. They used a multicenter, mixed-method approach and collected data from 2008 to 2012. Ian Philp, MD, FRCP, of the University of Warwick, Warwick, United Kingdom, developed the EASY-Care system during a research fellowship at the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health. “The idea was to develop something that would be useful for the primary care setting using the principles of good assessment,” Dr. Philip said in an interview. The EASY-Care Standard (2010) consists of three sections. The first section includes patient demographic information and medical history. The next section assesses current needs and priorities. The last section provides summary scores based on the responses. The research team has studied use of the EASY-Care system in 40 countries, and in this report, they describe results in Iran, Colombia, India, Lesotho, Tonga, and the United Kingdom by using a questionnaire that included quantitative and qualitative data. Participants' responses generally were positive as far as the ability to use EASY-Care to identify and address needs. Of 115 patients surveyed, 96 (83%) said the EASY-Care Standard was about the right length, 83 (72%) said everything was clear, 84 (73%) said that the test was very helpful in identifying the health and care needs most important to them, and 86 (75%) said they would definitely recommend it. The results of the study suggest that the EASY-Care Standard assessment has potential for cross-cultural use as a standard method for assessing older individuals, the researchers said. ▸ Source: Development of EASY-Care, for Brief Standardized Assessment of the Health and Care Needs of Older People; With Latest Information About Cross-National Acceptability — Philip KE, et al. White matter lesions correlate with balance and gait disturbance and can help predict falls in elderly patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, according to a cross-sectional study. Researchers from Japan's National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology enrolled 149 individuals with Alzheimer's disease and 14 with amnestic mild cognitive impairment in the study. They divided them into two groups: 63 individuals who experienced falls in the past year and 100 who didn't. The researchers assessed cognitive ability, depression, dementia symptoms, medication use, and balance/gait function. They analyzed white matter lesions, as seen on magnetic resonance imaging. Those individuals who fell had a greater volume of white matter lesions, and their posture/gait performance tended to be worse than non-fallers. Periventricular hyperintensity in frontal caps and occipital white matter lesions were especially strong predictors for falls. ▸ Source: Regional white matter lesions predict falls in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease — Ogama N, et al.

Book Review: International Relations: Nationalism, Political Realism and Democracy in Japan: The Thought of Masao Maruyama

Book Review: International Relations: Nationalism, Political Realism and Democracy in Japan: The Thought of Masao Maruyama

Treatment for Osteoporosis among Women in Japan: Associations with Patient Characteristics and Patient-Reported Outcomes in the 2008-2011 Japan National Health and Wellness Surveys.

This study was conducted to identify characteristics associated with treatment for osteoporosis among women aged 50 years and older in Japan and to explore differences among patients according to treatment regimen. Data were provided by a large annual survey representative of Japanese aged 18 and older; all measures were by self-report. Women aged 50 and older who reported diagnosed osteoporosis (N = 900) were compared based on current treatment status using bivariate statistics and logistic regression. Approximately 1 in 3 women in this study reporting diagnosed osteoporosis were currently untreated. Factors associated with current treatment for osteoporosis included having ≥1 physician visit in the prior 6 months (OR = 5.4, P < 0.001), self-rated moderate or severe osteoporosis (OR = 2.8, P < 0.001), completion of menopause (OR = 1.6, P < 0.05), and family history of osteoporosis (OR = 1.5, P < 0.05), while longer duration of osteoporosis diagnosis (OR = 0.9, P < 0.05) and arthritis (OR = 0.7, P < 0.05) were associated with lower odds of treatment. These findings suggest that diagnosed patients are not being actively managed in the longer term, and efforts need to be made to ensure that patients stay engaged with their healthcare providers.

クロスカントリースキー競技における競技パフォーマンスとサイクル特性との関係：男子10 km クラシカル競技種目を対象として

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationships between race performance and cycle characteristics in a 10-km classic-style men's cross-country ski competition. The subjects were competitors in the 89th Japan National Ski Championships. Skiing motions of the subjects on flat stretches (1.5 km and 6.5 km) and uphill slopes (1.7 km and 6.7 km) were videotaped using two high-speed cameras. Cycle characteristics were calculated based on measurement of hip displacement and cycle time. It was revealed that elite competitors (1) performed at high velocity at all measurement points, (2) reduced their velocity in the last half of the race, (3) achieved a high velocity in double poling and diagonal stride, (4) increased their cycle length and cycle rate when employing the double poling technique, and (5) increased their cycle length when employing the diagonal stride technique.

Linkage Rate Between Data From Health Checks and Health Insurance Claims in the Japan National Database

BackgroundJapan’s National Database (NDB) includes data on health checks and health insurance claims, is linkable using hash functions, and is available for research use. However, the linkage rate between health check and health insurance claims data has not been investigated.MethodsLinkage rate was evaluated by comparing observed medical and pharmaceutical charges among health check recipients in fiscal year (FY) 2009 (N = 21 588 883) with expected charges from the same population when record linkage was complete. Using the NDB, observed charges were estimated from the first published result of linking health check recipients in FY2009 and their health insurance claims in FY2010. Expected charges were estimated by combining 3 publicly available datasets, including data from the Medical Care Benefit Survey and an ad-hoc report by the Japan Health Insurance Association.ResultsOnly 14.9% of expected charges were linked by the NDB. The linkage rate was higher for women than for men (18.2% vs 12.4%) and for elderly adults as compared with younger adults (>25% vs <10%).ConclusionsThe linkage rate in the NDB was so low that any research linking health check and health insurance claims will not be reliable. Causes for the low linkage rate include differences between health check and health insurance claims data in name format (eg, insertion of a space between family and given names) and date of birth (Japanese vs Gregorian calendar). Investigation of the causes for the low linkage rate and measures for improvement are urgently needed.

HCl and ClO profiles inside the Antarctic vortex as observed by SMILES in November 2009: comparisons with MLS and ACE-FTS instruments

Abstract. We present vertical profiles of hydrogen chloride (HCl) and chlorine monoxide (ClO) as observed by the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder (SMILES) on the International Space Station (ISS) inside the Antarctic vortex on 19–24 November 2009. The SMILES HCl value reveals 2.8–3.1 ppbv between 450 K and 500 K levels in potential temperature (PT). The high value of HCl is highlighted since it is suggested that HCl is a main component of the total inorganic chlorine (Cly), defined as Cly ≃ HCl + ClO + chlorine nitrate (ClONO2), inside the Antarctic vortex in spring, owing to low ozone values. To confirm the quality of two SMILES level 2 (L2) data products provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Japan's National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), vis-à-vis the partitioning of Cly, comparisons are made using other satellite data from the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment Fourier Transform Spectrometer (ACE-FTS). HCl values from the SMILES NICT L2 product agree to within 10% (0.3 ppbv) with the MLS HCl data between 450 and 575 K levels in PT and with the ACE-FTS HCl data between 425 and 575 K. The SMILES JAXA L2 product is 10 to 20% (0.2–0.5 ppbv) lower than that from MLS between 400 and 700 K and from ACE-FTS between 500 and 700 K. For ClO in daytime, the difference between SMILES (JAXA and NICT) and MLS is less than ±0.05 ppbv (100 %) between 500 K and 650 K with the ClO values less than 0.2 ppbv. ClONO2 values as measured by ACE-FTS also reveal 0.2 ppbv at 475–500 K level, resulting in the HCl / Cly ratios of 0.91–0.95. The HCl / Cly ratios derived from each retrieval agree to within −5 to 8 % with regard to their averages. The high HCl values and HCl / Cly ratios observed by the three instruments in the lower stratospheric Antarctic vortex are consistent with previous observations in late Austral spring.

The Clash of Nationalism Between China and Japan in the 21st Century

This article seeks to explain the sources of rising nationalism in China and Japan by focusing on the following questions: What is the main agenda of Chinese and Japanese nationalism? What is the main feature of Chinese and Japanese nationalism and how are they presented with respect to one another? What are the similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese nationalism?

Strengthen the Teaching of History of Nationalism in Japan in the 1970s - Centered on 1969·1977 Course of Study -

Japanese Nationalism which was center of militaristic education before the World WarⅡ, was revived after the World WarⅡ in the rapidly changing of national and international situation.<BR> In this flow, education policy of Japan was also forced to be changed differently than before the World War Ⅱ.<BR> Revival of nationalistic education before World WarⅡ revised course of study, and forced schools through the textbook authorization system according to course of study.<BR> Therefore, this article focuses on history education goal of the Japanese government in the 1970s in the course of study.<BR> First, 1969 course of study aimed history education which emphasized nationalistic ideology for the national loyalty and reverence for the Emperor. The social studies curriculum in 1969, changed by ‘π-type’ system, deepened social study education moralized by emphasizing history and reorganizing moral education course separately.<BR> 1977 course of study aimed the goal of history education to make people dependent to society and nation as the citizens subordinated to the nation.<BR> Finally, Japan’s national ideology strengthening education and history education as civil showed very narrow concept of history containing only their point of view as shown in description about Sino-Japanese, Russo-Japanese war.

Japanese accounting academics’ perceptions on the global convergence of accounting education in Japan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a survey on the perception of the globalisation of accounting education among academics teaching at tertiary schools in Japan. With the acceleration of globalism in accounting education, the aim of this exploratory research is to investigate the perceptions of Japanese academics toward this global convergence. Design/methodology/approach – The sample was collected from accounting educators who were teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate level of the tertiary institutes in Japan. The subjects chosen for the survey were 300 members of the Japanese Accounting Association (JAA) and were randomly selected from the 2010 JAA Members’ Directory. A total of 87 responses were received producing an effective response rate of 29 per cent. Findings – The analysis of this study found that the majority of Japanese accounting academics’ believed that the International Education Standards had no substantial effect on accounting education. Further it was found that most of the academics did not know how they could confront these obstacles to achieve global convergence, although they were aware of the impediments. Research limitations – This study failed to portray any possible suggestions or solutions on how to improve future accounting education. Also the sample size was not large enough to generalise the findings. Finally, this study simply used the samples collected from the one single nation of Japan. Practical implications – The findings will provide a positive direction for standard setters, policy makers and regulatory authorities on how they should proceed in both the design of their promotion strategies and on how to address obstacles that have arisen according to these perceptions. Originality/value – The primary strength of this study was the fact that it was the first study in the literature to shed light on the perceptions of accounting academics in Japan on the global convergence of accounting education.

Glucocorticoid Therapy and the Risk of Infection in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Autoimmune Disease.

Glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is associated with the risk of life-threatening adverse events in patients with autoimmune disease. To determine accurately the incidence and predictors of GC-related adverse events during initial GC treatment, we conducted a cohort study. Patients with autoimmune disease who were initially treated with GCs in Japan National Hospital Organization (NHO) hospitals were enrolled. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine the independent risks for GC-related serious adverse events and mortality. Survival was analyzed according to the Kaplan-Meier method and was assessed with the log-rank test.The 604 patients had a total follow-up of 1105.8 person-years (mean, 1.9 year per patient). One hundred thirty-six patients had at least 1 infection with objective confirmation, and 71 patients had serious infections. Twenty-two cardiovascular events, 55 cases of diabetes, 30 fractures, 23 steroid psychosis events, and 4 avascular bone necrosis events occurred during the follow-up period. The incidence of serious infections was 114.8 (95% confidence interval, 95.7–136.6) per 1000 person-years. After adjustment for covariates, the following independent risk factors for serious infection were found: elderly age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.25/10-yr age increment; p = 0.016), presence of interstitial lung disease (HR, 2.01; p = 0.011), high-dose GC use (≥29.9 mg/d) (HR, 1.71; p = 0.047), and low performance status (Karnofsky score, HR, 0.98/1-score increment; p = 0.002). During the follow-up period, 73 patients died, 35 of whom died of infection. Similarly, elderly age, the presence of interstitial lung disease, and high-dose GC use were found to be significant independent risk factors for mortality. The incidence of serious and life-threatening infection was higher in patients with autoimmune disease who were initially treated with GCs. Although the primary diseases are important confounding factors, elderly age, male sex, the presence of interstitial lung diseases, high-dose GCs, and low performance status were shown to be risk factors for serious infection and mortality.

Asian dust is a risk of the incidence of acute myocardial infarction in the west side of Japan

Backgrounds: Recently, Asian dust (AD) and air pollution have been recognized as a cause of cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic stroke. However, the association between AD, a windblown sand dust originating from mineral soil in China and Mongolia, and the incidence of ischemic heart disease, such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is unknown. The sand dust is suspended in the air and transported overseas to the west side of Japan. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether AD is associated with the incidence of AMI. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the date of hospitalizations due to AMI of 3068 consecutive patients from four AMI centers in Fukuoka, Japan from April 2003 to December 2010. Data on Asian dust, weather, and air pollutants were collected from Japan Meteorological Agency and National Institute for Environmental Studies. We applied the time-stratified case-crossover design to examine the association between AD and the incidence of AMI. This design is expected to adjust for individual confounders, season, time trend, and the day of week. Using conditional logistic regression, we estimated the odds ratios of AMI associated with AD. We also controlled for ambient temperature and relative humidity. Results: AD observed 0-4 days before the admission day was significantly associated with the incidence of AMI (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.40). Especially AD observed 4 days ago was significantly associated (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-1.69). Although we further adjusted for air pollutant including suspended particulate matter (SPM), photochemical oxidant (Ox), nitric oxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), the positive association between AD in day 0-4 and day4 and the risk of AMI was still observed. Conclusions: These data suggest that exposure to AD a few days ago may trigger the incidence of AMI.

Current topics in therapeutic plasmapheresis

Therapeutic plasmapheresis has been used for intractable diseases that cannot be cured by conventional drug therapy. Currently, the use of therapeutic plasmapheresis has been approved for 27 diseases by Japan's National Health Insurance system and is mainly categorized into three modalities: plasma exchange (PE), double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP), and plasma adsorption (PA). Plasma separators and/or fractionators are essential for the therapy. PE is performed for two purposes: removal of pathogenic antigens or substances in the plasma fraction and supplementation of essential factors, such as albumin and coagulation factors. PE can be used for thrombotic microangiopathy and acute hepatic failure. DFPP can be performed for selective removal of macromolecules while avoiding the use of substitution fluid (i.e., albumin or fresh frozen plasma). DFPP has now been used for conditions involving relatively larger plasma molecules, including hyperviscosity syndrome and ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation. PA can specifically remove pathogenic agents, such as low-density lipoprotein or autoantibodies, in the IgG fractions by the adsorption column and does not require substitution fluids. PA has now been used for a wide variety of neurological diseases, including chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. This review describes the characteristics of each modality, seeking to improve the efficacy and specificity of removal of the target substance.

Characteristics, treatment patterns, and unmet needs of Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation

Characteristics, treatment patterns, and unmet needs of Japanese patients with atrial fibrillation Yukihiro Koretsune,1 Bruno Rossi,2 Kazuya Iwamoto,3 Edward CY Wang,4 Marco DiBonaventura,5 Jean-Baptiste Briere41Institute for Clinical Research, Osaka National Hospital, Osaka, Japan; 2Market Access, Bayer Yakuhin Ltd., Osaka, Japan; 3Medical Affairs Cardiovascular and Neurology, Bayer Yakuhin Ltd., Osaka, Japan; 4Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Bayer Yakuhin Ltd., Osaka, Japan; 5Health Outcomes Practice, Kantar Health, New York, NY, USABackground: Data on characteristics, comorbidities, health outcomes, and treatment patterns of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in Japan are scarce. The aim of this study was to address this gap in order to better understand the characteristics of Japanese AF patients.Methods and results: The 2008-2010 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey data sets were used in this study (N = 60,015). Demographics, health characteristics, stroke risk (using the CHA2DS2-VASc score), comorbidities, and health outcomes were all assessed. A total of 565 patients (0.94%) self-reported a physician diagnosis of AF. Patients with AF reported a number of comorbidities, including another cardiovascular condition (87.08%), a urological condition (67.79%), and dyspepsia (37.35%). Patients with AF also reported significantly worse health status and significantly more resource use than did controls. Based on the CHA2DS2-VASc score, most patients (88.50%) were at either moderate or high risk, yet only 64.25% of patients were currently being treated. Among those not currently treated, 42.57% had discontinued previous treatment. Among those currently treated, over a third reported nonadherent behaviors.Conclusion: Despite the disease burden and the high risk for a future stroke, not all patients are being treated according to guidelines. This treatment gap highlights the need for better therapeutic alternatives, in order to improve the management of patients with AF, in Japan.Keywords: stroke risk, health status, adherence

Functional proteomics, human genetics and cancer biology of GIPC family members.

GIPC1, GIPC2 and GIPC3 consist of GIPC homology 1 (GH1) domain, PDZ domain and GH2 domain. The regions around the GH1 and GH2 domains of GIPC1 are involved in dimerization and interaction with myosin VI (MYO6), respectively. The PDZ domain of GIPC1 is involved in interactions with transmembrane proteins [IGF1R, NTRK1, ADRB1, DRD2, TGFβR3 (transforming growth factorβ receptor type III), SDC4, SEMA4C, LRP1, NRP1, GLUT1, integrin α5 and VANGL2], cytosolic signaling regulators (APPL1 and RGS19) and viral proteins (HBc and HPV-18 E6). GIPC1 is an adaptor protein with dimerizing ability that loads PDZ ligands as cargoes for MYO6-dependent endosomal trafficking. GIPC1 is required for cell-surface expression of IGF1R and TGFβR3. GIPC1 is also required for integrin recycling during cell migration, angiogenesis and cytokinesis. On early endosomes, GIPC1 assembles receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and APPL1 for activation of PI3K–AKT signaling, and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and RGS19 for attenuation of inhibitory Gα signaling. GIPC1 upregulation in breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers promotes tumor proliferation and invasion, whereas GIPC1 downregulation in cervical cancer with human papillomavirus type 18 infection leads to resistance to cytostatic transforming growth factorβ signaling. GIPC2 is downregulated in acute lymphocytic leukemia owing to epigenetic silencing, while Gipc2 is upregulated in estrogen-induced mammary tumors. Somatic mutations of GIPC2 occur in malignant melanoma, and colorectal and ovarian cancers. Germ-line mutations of the GIPC3 or MYO6 gene cause nonsyndromic hearing loss. As GIPC proteins are involved in trafficking, signaling and recycling of RTKs, GPCRs, integrins and other transmembrane proteins, dysregulation of GIPCs results in human pathologies, such as cancer and hereditary deafness.

Union for International Cancer Control International Session: Healthcare Economics: The significance of the UN summit non‐communicable diseases political declaration in Asia

The Japan National Committee for the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and UICC-Asia Regional Office (ARO) organized an international session as part of the official program of the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Cancer Association to discuss the topic "Healthcare Economics: The Significance of the UN Summit non-communicable diseases (NCDs) Political Declaration in Asia." The presenters and participants discussed the growing cost of cancer in the Asian region and the challenges that are faced by the countries of Asia, all of which face budgetary and other systemic constraints in tackling and controlling cancer in the region. The session benefited from the participation of various stakeholders, including cancer researchers and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry. They discussed the significance of the UN Political Declaration on the prevention and control of NCDs (2011) as a means of boosting awareness of cancer in the Asian region and also addressed the ways in which stakeholders can cooperate to improve cancer control and treatment. Other issues that were covered included challenges relating to pharmaceutical trials in Asia and how to link knowledge and research outcomes. The session concluded with the recognition that with the onset of a super-aged society in most countries in Asia and an increasing focus on quality of life rather than quantity of life, it is more important than ever for all stakeholders to continue to share information and promote policy dialogue on cancer control and treatment.