As stigma around the country’s health crisis starts to fade, some care facilities are at the forefront of devising ways to tackle the challenges of a super-ageing society

• All photographs by Robin Hammond

For the millions of Japanese people living with dementia, diagnosis is often the beginning of a journey into a life of seclusion.

When dementia is covered by the media, it is in the form of news about experimental therapies, or reports on the latest police campaign to encourage older people to surrender their driving licences.

The voices of people living with the condition – in ever rising numbers among an ageing population – are often missing from the public debate.