Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in the context of National Institute of Infectious Diseases (Japan)

The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (Japanese: 大東亜共栄圏, Hepburn: Dai Tōa Kyōeiken), also known as the GEACPS, was a pan-Asian union that the Empire of Japan tried to establish. Initially, it covered Japan (including annexed Korea), Manchukuo, and China, but as the Pacific War progressed, it also included territories in Southeast Asia and parts of India. The term was first coined by Minister for Foreign Affairs Hachirō Arita on June 29, 1940.

The proposed objectives of this union were to ensure economic self-sufficiency and cooperation among the member states, along with resisting the influence of Western imperialism and Soviet communism. In reality, militarists and nationalists saw it as an effective propaganda tool to enforce Japanese hegemony. The latter approach was reflected in a document released by Japan's Ministry of Health and Welfare, An Investigation of Global Policy with the Yamato Race as Nucleus, which promoted racial supremacist theories. Japanese spokesmen openly described the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere as a device for the "development of the Japanese race." When World War II ended, the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere became a source of criticism and scorn for the Allies.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (国立社会保障・人口問題研究所, Kokuritsu Shakai Hoshō Jinkō Mondai Kenkyūjo; IPSS) is a national research institute in Japan. It was established in 1996 through the merger of the Institute of Population Problems (1939–) and the Social Development Research Institute (1965–). It is an affiliated institution of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

During the period of dramatic economic growth following World War II, Japan's life-expectancy increased with fertility decreased. This has led to explosive growth in the cost of social security programs with a continuing decline in the workforce.

Hāfu (ハーフ, "half") is a Japanese language term used to refer to a person born in Japan with half Asian and half non-Asian ancestry. The word can also be used to describe anyone with mixed-racial ancestry in general. As many consider Japan to be one of the most homogeneous societies on the planet, children who have one non-Asian parent are called hāfu Japanese and often face prejudice and discrimination from Japanese citizens of full Asian descent. Hāfu individuals are well represented in Japanese media and abroad, and according to estimates from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in the 2010s, 1 in 30 children born in Japan are born to interracial couples with one non-Asian parent.