As Japan's largest local government, with a population of 3.67 million people, Yokohama pursues a variety of policies in the health, welfare, and medical care fields to enable all residents of whatever age to enjoy secure lives, and it is moving forward with barrier-free development of the city center to ensure access for all.
The city is working to enhance care services for older people and develop the urban environment to enable equal access to people with and without disabilities alike. It is also actively engaged in programs to promote resident health, enhance emergency care services, and manage health risks such as outbreaks of new influenza viruses.

Barrier free access

Elevators are being installed at railway stations and the number of more easily accessible non-step buses in service is being increased. As well as improving the physical environment, Yokohama is developing as a city in which everyone can live and work safely and securely in intangible ways, too, such as by raising awareness of barrier free access and encouraging consideration for others.

Medical services

In order to develop regional hub hospitals capable of providing advanced medical care, Yokohama has attracted privately run hospitals serving six areas of the city. Facilities such as emergency medical care centers and perinatal centers are also being developed, along with other aspects of the emergency medical care infrastructure to ensure residential safety and wellbeing.

Care services for older people

Domiciliary care services for older people are being developed to enable people to continue living in their own homes and familiar communities. Particular priority is allocated to the development of small-scale multi-function service centers providing a combination of day, respite, and home-help services, and group homes for older people with dementia.

Community living and self-reliance support services for people with disabilities

A range of services are being developed to assist the community lives of people with disabilities, even where severe. These include counseling support, home-help and respite services, and mobility support. As well as support for entry into employment, facilities such as group homes are being developed to provide accommodation for people with disabilities living away from home.

Community support

In order to develop mechanisms of mutual support and assistance so that residents of all ages—from children to the elderly—can be involved in their communities, resolve local issues, and obtain support where needed, residents and the authorities will work together to formulate and implement community-level health and welfare plans covering the entire city.