Apple and IBM want to give iPads to Japanese senior citizens.

The companies have teamed with Japan Post Group—a state-owned organization that runs post offices, banks, and insurance services—to deliver iPads with IBM-developed apps and analytics to 5 million customers in Japan by 2020.

Japan Post Group will kick off a pilot program in the second half of 2015 and ramp up in stages to hit that 5 million number over the next five years. The organization already provides a national Watch Over service, which requires a small fee for personnel to check in on elderly citizens. It positioned the iPad effort as a complement to that program.

IBM's custom-built applications will provide reminders and alerts about medications, exercise, and diet, as well as provide direct access to community activities and support services like grocery shopping and job matching.

Japan has about 33 million senior citizens at the moment, who make up 25 percent of the country's overall population. That number, however, is expected to grow to 40 percent over the next four decades.

"This initiative has potential for global impact, as many countries face the challenge of supporting an aging population," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "And we are honored to be involved in supporting Japan's senior citizens and helping enrich their lives."

"What we're starting today draws on IBM's long heritage of innovation at the intersection of technology, business and society," said Ginni Rometty, CEO of IBM.

"The potential we see here—as broad as national economics and as specific as the quality of life of individuals and their families—is one example of the potential of mobile-led transformation anywhere in the world where issues of an aging population exist," Rometty added.

"We are joining with two of the world's most respected leaders in technology to bring our elderly generation into the connected world, expand our businesses by deepening relationships, and discover new ways to strengthen the fabric of our society and economy," Japan Post Group CEO Taizo Nishimuro said in a statement.

Apple iPad sales dropped to 12.6 million during the last quarter, down from 21.5 million in the holiday quarter, and 16.3 million during this time last year. Apple, however, has looked to its deal with IBM—which is focused largely on bringing iPads equipped with IBM-developed apps to the enterprise—to help boost iPad sales.