Yugawara Town, Japan & 39 local municipalities in Thailand
JICA Partnership Program Phase 2（ Mach 2026 - February 2029 ）
Overview
Thailand is experiencing rapid population aging alongside social and economic development, while public welfare and healthcare systems still face limitations in cost and service coverage. To address these challenges, strengthen elderly care systems supported by local resources have become increasingly important.
The SMART & STRONG Project promotes sustainable, community-based elderly care through learning exchange with Japan and other countries across borders. Initiatives led by Thai local municipalities (39 sites as of April 2026) and Yugawara Town in Japan, with JICA Partnership Program scheme, building networks of partners involving NGOs, universities, government agencies, healthcare professionals, and private-sectors.
By strengthening local leadership and community participation, the project supports locally driven initiatives and encourages innovation in resilient and integrated community-based care systems, leaving no one behind.
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Background
The experiences and lessons from Phase 1 (August 2022 - July2025) now serve as the foundation for broader learning, stronger partnerships, and more sustainable community care in Phase 2.
Through a nationwide municipal network, participating communities shared ideas and learned from each other. As a result, the network expanded to 39 municipalities across Thailand. During Phase 1, the project boosted spreading practical community initiatives such as dementia care, day care services, caregiver training, home-based care with resident volunteers, and local elderly action plans. Manuals, guidelines, and educational videos developed are now being used nationwide.
Phase 2 Vision
Phase 2 aims to build a sustainable, community-based elderly care model across Thailand through a growing network of local municipalities, while expanding mutual learning beyond borders. Building on the achievements of Phase 1, the project will strengthen systems that enable municipalities, residents, volunteers, healthcare professionals, businesses, universities, and community organizations to work together in supporting older persons.
Phase 2 will focus on three major directions:
- Advancing specialized elderly care knowledge
including dementia care, oral care, nutrition, rehabilitation, and care management, responding to the increasingly diverse needs identified by local municipalities - Strengthening sustainable learning networks
among Thai municipalities, Japanese local governments, universities, citizens, healthcare providers, and private sectors, ensuring that mutual learning continues beyond project funding - Expanding cross-border collaboration in Asia
by promoting learning exchanges with neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Laos, and Cambodia, creating a broader regional platform for community-based aging policies and practices.
| Transition | Phase 1 | Phase 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Participating Sites | Launched with 9 sites | Launched with 39 sites |
| Diversity of Participating Sites | Limited representation of small-scale municipality (e.g. subdistrict administrative organizations) | More balanced and inclusive network across municipal levels, geography, religion, industry, etc. |
| Network and Scalability | Established network of municipalities proactively advancing elderly care policies & practices | Municipal initiatives and knowledge-sharing through the network expand organically |
| International Learning Exchange | Focused on Thailand–Japan mutual learning | Cross-border learning across Asia and beyond |
Rather than exporting a one-way model, the project promotes an “equal partnership” approach, where communities learn from one another and adapt ideas to their own local contexts. Through this process, the project seeks not only to improve elderly care in Thailand, but also to generate new insights for aging societies across Asia — including Japan itself.
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