日本的社會保障法制於二次世界大戰後,由生存權的基本理念出發,經過一九五O年代生活保護時代、一九六O年代全民皆保險皆年金時代、一九七三年第一次石油危機開始,以一九八三年老人保健法為代表之「社會保障再編成」時代、其後進入一九九O年代至二十一世紀以介護保險為第一歩,由「行政處分」向「契約」轉換、促進「市場化」之「社會保障構造改革」時代;隨著國內人口、社會之改變及國際情勢、社會保障理念之演進,健康權、知的權利、人性尊嚴、自己決定自由、参與、社會連帶、綜合性照顧等人權理念,成為新時代介護保障法制之理念基礎,進而構築介護保障的具體政策與法制。我國正值長期照顧法制建制與整合期,日本相關法制的發展經驗與基本理念,或可作為他山之石的參考。
Since the World War II, the social security legal system in Japan had experienced different kinds of evolution. Based on the notion of the right to exist, it developed from the 1950's period of the protection of livelihood, 1960's period of all people insured by social security, 1973's oil shock, 1983's ”the reconstruction of social security system” that was represented by the enactment of Elderly Health Protection Act; then came into the 1990s and 21st century, led by the Long-term Care Insurance Act, we saw the tendency from ”administrative action” to ”civil market”. Owing not only to the drastic changes of domestic population and society, but also influenced by the international enhancement of social security concept, human right beliefs such as the right of health, right to be informed, human dignity, self-determination, participation, social-linkage and synthesized care became the new era's foundation of long-term care legal system. Taiwan now is facing the critical point to construct and integrate the long-term care legal system, the experiences of Japan will be a useful reference for us.