Studying aging from all angles to extend healthy life expectancy
The Gerontology Research Center was founded as a cross-disciplinary hub to promote well-being in response to the challenges of a super-aging society. We interviewed Director Hisashi Naito about the center’s initiatives to integrate knowledge from diverse fields related to aging and the elderly, to extend healthy life expectancy.
“While gerontology is commonly understood as the study of aging, we approach it as a discipline that promotes active aging and well-being, enabling individuals to remain engaged in society throughout their lives,” says Dr. Naito. Drawing on Juntendo’s strengths in medicine, nursing, and sports science, we seek to build an academic field that contributes to human welfare through collaborative research spanning behavioral science, social inclusion, culture, art, information science, ecology, and other liberal arts disciplines.
We are now deepening interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing cooperation among industry, academia, and government to translate research outcomes into societal applications. To support this, we are developing a cross-departmental research structure and system designed to fully leverage the resources of Juntendo University’s nine faculties, six graduate schools, and six hospitals (as of 2025).
As a collaboration hub, the center advances two major research initiatives: the Gerontology Project, which addresses diverse issues in an aging society through industry-academia cooperation, and the COI (Center of Innovation) Development Project, which uses AI and IoT technologies to extend healthy life. These efforts to enhance collaboration with industry and local communities while nurturing young investigators.
The Gerontology Project was launched as a successor to the COI study previously conducted under the Gerontology: Applied Medicine and Health Sciences Unit led by Dr. Nobuhiro Sato. The original COI project aimed at preventing locomotive syndrome, with the goal of extending healthy, fulfilling lifespans. A distinguishing feature of this project is its focus beyond the elderly population, developing early interventions to prevent locomotive syndrome beginning in adolescence.
Building on this approach, the Gerontology Project views aging as a lifelong process and aims to create a society where individuals maintain mobility and independence throughout their lives.
In one FY 2023 project titled “Study on the Usefulness of Analyzing Remote Control Operation and Cable Television Viewing Trends for Early Detection of Cognitive Decline in the Elderly,” the Faculty of Health Science and Nursing led research in collaboration with the Juntendo Tokyo Koto Ward Geriatric Medical Center, cable television companies, and other partners. The project’s first objective was to identify the characteristics of elderly individuals living with dementia.
We are also advancing research that examines aging at the individual level. These include projects such as the Development and Evaluation of an ICT Health Support System for Retirees and Interdisciplinary Research on Promoting Aging in Place, which support elderly adults in living independently within their own communities. These efforts aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges associated with aging across both societal and community levels.
The COI Development Project focuses on translating COI research findings into practical applications. “In collaboration with Ritsumeikan University and industry partners, it integrates cutting-edge technologies, including AI and IoT, to encourage behavioral change and enhance social participation, supporting the goal of active aging,” explains Dr. Naito.
In one of our flagship research initiatives, Personalized Medicine for Dry Eye Using an Eye Mask Device with Smartwear Technology, we have developed an eye mask effective against meibomian gland dysfunction, a leading cause of dry eye. While intervention trials are underway using a demo device, we are collaborating with industry partners to bring the device to practical use in society.
Another project titled New Attempt at Home Rehabilitation after Breast Cancer Surgery, involves surgeons and occupational therapists at Juntendo University Shizuoka Hospital who are developing smart clothing that monitors arm movement in patients with limited mobility after breast cancer surgery. We have conducted clinical trials using a prototype. The current focus is on improving wearer comfort and the user interface in preparation for full-scale commercialization.
One of the Center’s key research themes is promoting behavioral change to help people maintain and improve their health. While everyone understands that exercise is important, putting it into practice can be challenging. To address these psychological barriers, we are working on a joint industry-academia research project (adopted as a Gerontology Project) called “Development and Evaluation of an ICT Retail Health Support System” that draws on various fields, including sports medicine, health support ICT, and behavioral science.
This research project focuses on the health of individuals before and after retirement, aiming to create a health support system that promotes behavioral changes post-retirement. While employees receive regular health checkups and support from health insurance associations during their working years, such support often ends after retirement. The project therefore seeks to develop a system that encourages proactive health management before retirement.
In FY 2023, during the project’s first year, we conducted an online survey with 3,000 individuals nearing or recently achieving retirement. We found that mental health tends to improve after retirement, with this effect being especially pronounced among those who engage in regular exercise.
Building on these survey findings, we are collaborating with an industry partner to develop an app that promotes behavioral change. We will test its effectiveness through an intervention trial to determine whether new behaviors become habitual. The study’s findings will be used to highlight the importance of “prospective preventive measures” in supporting the health of older adults.
The Gerontology Project is currently conducting a research initiative titled Developing a New Screening Tool for Frailty and Establishing a Frailty Prevention Center, in collaboration with multiple local governments and elderly care facilities in Chiba Prefecture. Led by Juntendo University’s Faculty of Health and Sports Science and Faculty of Health Science and Nursing, the project aims to implement frailty prevention measures for local residents based on the findings of the COI Project, which focused on developing and implementing a locomotive syndrome prevention exercise program.
As part of specific measures to address frailty, local residents were invited to participate in initiatives such as a basic course on frailty prevention, the Body Improvement Project, the “Strength Training at Home Video Series,” and the “Senior Health College.” Physical fitness tests and evaluations were also conducted, helping establish a method to assess the effectiveness of lectures and exercise guidance in preventing frailty.
In addition to Chiba Prefecture, the Gerontology Project is currently conducting regional collaborative research in Izunokuni City in Shizuoka Prefecture, with the Mishima Campus serving as a central hub. The goal is to eventually expand the initiative, positioning each campus, faculty, and hospital as a core unit, and to promote the social implementation of research across the university system.
The outcomes of this project could serve as a model for aging in other Asian countries. In countries like Thailand, which still has a relatively young population, these preventive exercise interventions could be implemented ahead of demographic aging. This approach highlights the potential for international expansion, leveraging Japan’s expertise as a leader in addressing the challenges of an aging society.
Director, Gerontology Research Center, Juntendo Advanced Research Institute for Health Science, Juntendo University
Dr. Naito holds a Master of Physical Education and a Doctor of Philosophy. He served as dean of the Juntendo University Faculty of Health and Sports Science as well as dean of the Juntendo University Graduate School of Health and Sports Science. In 2018, he became director of the Juntendo University Institute of Health and Sports Science & Medicine, and he assumed his current position in 2023.
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