Prime Minister Abe’s recent visit to the UK was a chance for the two countries to talk about common issues affecting their future. Let’s hope one of the topics they discussed was how to deal with an ageing society.

In the 1970s and 1980s the world looked to Japan to learn about lean manufacturing. After the 2007-8 global financial crisis it looked to Japan to see how to deal with the aftermath of a financial crisis.

Japan is a pioneer in dealing with an ageing society, and countries faced with similar challenges like the UK should look to it for innovative solutions. According to the ONS, 26% of our population will be 65 or above in 2041 – up from 18.2% in 2017.

Currently one in twelve people globally are over 65, in 30 years it will be one in six. By 2020 there will be more people aged over 65 than under five. Japan is leading the way in this demographic transition. It has the highest life expectancy at birth, 84 and still rising; a population that is expected to decline, from 128million in 2004 to 109million by 2050 and already has more than 8% of its population aged over 80 and this is expected to rise to 18% by 2050.

Intriguingly the impact of an ageing society has to date been more positive than many predicted. Shifts in government policy and corporate behaviour have helped Japan perform better than expected. With an ageing society one of the key priorities of the UK government’s Industrial Strategy Grand Challenge its worth looking to see what lessons can be learnt.

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