SINGAPORE, May 25, 2026 – A new Japan-Singapore collaboration aimed at deploying AI-enabled operational solutions in eldercare settings has been launched in Singapore, reflecting growing regional efforts to address workforce pressures and rising care demands linked to ageing populations.
The initiative brings together Kanamic Network Co., Ltd., one of Japan’s leading eldercare digital transformation companies, with Singapore-based eldercare providers Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital (KWSH) and Lions Befrienders Service Association.
Positioned as a first-of-its-kind initiative under the recently established Japan-Singapore Strategic Partnership, the pilot will explore how AI-enabled workflow solutions can be adapted and localised for Singapore’s eldercare ecosystem.
The launch event at Sands Expo & Convention Centre was attended by Tan Kiat How, Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and Ministry of Health, alongside Ishikawa Hiroshi, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, underscoring the strategic significance of the collaboration.
AI Workflows to Support Frontline Healthcare Staff
As Singapore officially enters a “super-aged” phase in 2026, healthcare providers are increasingly looking toward technology and automation to improve workforce productivity while maintaining quality of care.
The one-year pilot project will focus on co-developing AI-enabled operational solutions designed to reduce administrative workloads and improve coordination within eldercare environments.
Among the solutions being explored are smart voice-to-text care documentation systems, predictive scheduling tools and automated multidisciplinary task handovers.
The pilot will assess how such systems can complement Singapore’s healthcare IT infrastructure and allow frontline caregivers to spend more time focusing on patients and seniors.
The collaboration will specifically focus on three operational priorities:
- reducing administrative burdens through automation,
- improving care team coordination through workflow AI, and
- optimising workforce efficiency to support safer and more effective care delivery.
Takuma Yamamoto, Representative Director and President of Kanamic Network, said the initiative is intended as a collaborative “sandbox” for practical AI innovation within healthcare operations.
“Our mission is to contribute meaningfully to Singapore’s healthcare ecosystem through shared learning and co-creation,” Yamamoto said.
“By exploring AI-driven workflow concepts together in a sandbox environment, we aim to generate practical insights that can help the sector increase the ‘time-to-care’ ratio, allowing caregivers to focus on what matters most — the seniors.”
Singapore Looks to Japan’s Eldercare Experience
Japan has long been viewed as one of the world’s most advanced ageing societies and has increasingly integrated robotics, AI and workflow automation into healthcare and nursing care operations to address manpower shortages.
Kanamic Network, headquartered in Tokyo and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, currently provides cloud-based healthcare and nursing care management systems used across approximately 52,000 medical and nursing care facilities in Japan.
Its Kanamic Cloud Service connects local governments, doctors, nurses, care managers and long-term care providers through integrated information-sharing platforms.
Singapore-based partners in the pilot will contribute local operational expertise across nursing homes, active ageing centres, centre-based care and home care settings.
Mok Ying Jang, Chief Executive Officer of Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, said the collaboration presents an opportunity to rethink operational workflows as Singapore’s ageing population grows.
“As Singapore transitions into a super-aged society, the future of care will depend on how effectively we redesign workflows to better support our people,” he said.
“This pilot provides an opportunity to explore how AI-enabled systems can reduce administrative burden and strengthen operational efficiency, enabling our teams to spend more time delivering quality care.”
Karen Wee, Executive Director of Lions Befrienders, added that the pilot could help return valuable time to community and home care staff.
“At the heart of community care is human connection. This sandbox gives us the opportunity to test how smart, everyday workflow assistants can give time back to our community and home care staff,” she said.
The initiative is also being supported academically by Kelvin Tan Cheng Kian, Associate Professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, who is serving as consultant to the project.
Dr Tan said Singapore remains keenly interested in understanding how Japan has integrated technology into healthcare productivity and active ageing initiatives.
“A successful pilot will allow Singapore to better understand how practical AI technologies can be applied within the community, and potentially lead to greater investment in AI for healthcare, contributing to a thriving ecosystem of innovation,” he said.
The collaboration reflects a broader regional trend where governments, healthcare operators and technology companies are increasingly looking toward AI-driven operational tools to address the long-term demographic and workforce implications of ageing societies across Asia-Pacific.