Background
Japan took the initiative in the field of population and development by founding the world's first non-partisan parliamentary association, the Japan Parliamentarians Federation for Population (JPFP) in 1974 under the proposal by former Prime Ministers Nobusuke Kishi and Takeo Fukuda. This encouraged the creation of parliamentary national committees in other Asian countries. In 1982, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) was established as a coordinating body of these parliamentary committees concurrently with the founding of the Asian Population and Development Association (APDA) as a supporting body for AFPPD. Thus, APDA was established on February 1, 1982 to engage in activities toward social development and economic progress through study and research of population and development issues in Japan, Asia and elsewhere, and thus contribute to the enhancement of welfare and establishment of peace in the world. The major concern was that since Asia is home to approximately 60% of the world's population, without achieving population stabilization in this region, high living standards could not be maintained.
In the past 25 years since APDAs existence there have been many achievements in the field of population:
- We have been successful in lowering the total fertility rate in Asia from approximately 4.0 to 2.5 - a fundamental requirement for the stabilization of the population.
- The incidence of extreme poverty in Asia has been greatly lessened due in large measure to population stabilization.
- Active parliamentarian programs on population and development have not only permeated throughout the entire Asian region but have contributed to the establishments of African and Arab as well as Inter-European parliamentarian fora and the creation of a worldwide parliamentarian network on population.
APDA Establishment Celebration Party (2 February 1982, Tokyo, Japan) Right: former Prime Ministers, Nobusuke Kishi