On 12 August, acting president Akira Nagatsuma and other members of the House of Representatives Health, Labour and Welfare Committee held discussions within the National Diet with a delegation from the South Korean National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, who were visiting Japan. Attendees included Deputy Policy Research Committee Chairman Katsuhito Nakajima, Health, Labour and Welfare Committee Member Natsumi Sakai, and Director-General of the International Department Kentaro Genma. They discussed a wide range of topics, including the current state of healthcare and welfare systems in both countries, common challenges, and future directions for cooperation.

The meeting addressed diverse challenges including regional and specialty imbalances in doctors, countermeasures against declining birthrates and ageing populations, care systems, and support for persons with disabilities. The South Korean delegation expressed strong interest in Japan's regional quota system for doctors, the structure of Jichi Medical University contributing to regional and remote area healthcare, and the operation of the long-term care insurance system. The Japanese side shared details on the actual situation at Jichi Medical University and the regional quota system, as well as concerns regarding shortages of surgeons and cancer specialists.

In the ageing and care sector, Japan introduced its integrated community care system, long-term care insurance system, and examples of equipment deployment in care settings, comparing these with South Korea's planned integrated care system due to commence in March 2026. Regarding disability support, both nations confirmed the importance of mutually learning from each other's systems and initiatives. For countermeasures against the declining birth rate, the need to foster environments enabling young people to marry and strengthen welfare infrastructure was highlighted.

Finally, the Japanese side confirmed that both countries would build a relationship that is ‘close rather than distant’ and further strengthen cooperation in the field of health and welfare. This includes Japan providing information to South Korea, verifying the effectiveness of measures to address the declining birth rate, and sharing approaches to tackle the uneven distribution of doctors.