Â鶹´«Ã½

Tag - national-health-care

 
Â鶹´«Ã½
Search
 
August 11, 2026
 

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE

Tokyo¡¯s metropolitan government offers subsidies of up to ?100,000 for epidural childbirth at designated medical institutions.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 31, 2026
Tokyo¡¯s subsidies for pain relief during childbirth see strong demand
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government received 12,059 applications in the six months through March for its subsidy program ¡ª well above its projection of about 9,500.
A cardiac muscle cell sheet that uses induced pluripotent stem cells
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 22, 2026
Another iPS product approved for public insurance coverage in Japan
It is the second case of insurance coverage approval in the nation for an induced pluripotent stem cell-derived regenerative medicine product.
Conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at medical institutions in Japan starting in August. Patients will need to present their My Number cards registered for use as a health insurance card.
JAPAN
Jul 20, 2026
Japanese health insurance cards no longer usable in clinics from August
Patients in Japan will need a My Number card registered for insurance use or a special certificate to receive insured medical treatment.
The ceilings on monthly out-of-pocket medical expenses will be raised next month and again in August 2027.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jul 19, 2026
Japan to raise caps on out-of-pocket medical expenses
The changes are intended to curb ballooning national medical costs.
A bloodstained helmet worn by an ambulance crew member who became involved in a case of violent abuse against the crew
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2026
Violence toward ambulance crews in Tokyo higher in 2025 and rising this year
Incidents not only impact the well-being of emergency personnel but also reduce the availability of emergency services for others.
Takashi Yonekawa, deputy head of the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on June 24.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2026
Kenporen seeks medical insurance reform talks
Japan should engage in discussions involving all stakeholders on whether and how to revise its public medical insurance system, deputy head Takashi Yonekawa said.
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
JAPAN
Jun 1, 2026
More pregnant women in Japan undergo prenatal checkups
Noninvasive prenatal testing has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional tests due to its lower stress levels for mothers.
Health minister Kenichiro Ueno at an Upper House plenary session following the passage of a bill to reform the nation's health care insurance system
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 29, 2026
Japan passes bill to raise co-payments for prescription drugs similar to OTC counterparts
The health ministry plans to require individuals to bear additional costs for some 1,100 over-the-counter-like prescription drugs starting in March 2027.
Organ transplants are sometimes called off due to staff shortages, for example, at medical institutions in Japan.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 28, 2026
Health ministry to give financial aid to organ transplant hospitals
The aid program is designed to reduce cases in which transplants are canceled due to staff shortages, as more people become organ donors.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group President and Group CEO Toru Nakashima in 2025. Nakashima believes that Japan must make better use of medical resources.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 19, 2026
SMFG, Fujitsu and SoftBank forming medical alliance to help contain costs
As Japan faces another wave of retirees, technology might help keep the nation fit and control healthcare spending.
The government hopes to reduce medical expenses by asking people to pay more for prescription drugs similar to those that can be purchased at drugstores.
JAPAN / FOCUS
May 15, 2026
Co-payment to reach 50% for prescription drugs similar to OTC ones in Japan
The current medical system has been criticized?for allowing drugs that could be replaced by over-the-counter alternatives to be bought for cheaper through public health insurance.
IPS cells cultured by Sumitomo Pharma
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 13, 2026
Health panel approves coverage for iPS cell-derived Parkinson¡¯s disease treatment
The approval of Sumitomo Pharma¡¯s Amchepry makes it the world¡¯s first commercialized medical product derived from iPS cells.
The combined balance at health insurance associations at all large firms in the fiscal year that ends in March 2027 is forecast to result in a ?289 billion ($1.8 billion) deficit, according to the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 30, 2026
Deficits loom for many health insurance associations at large Japanese firms
Over 70% of such groups are projected to log deficits in fiscal 2026, the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies says.
About half of the sexual abuse cases occurred during one-on-one interactions between patients and staff.
JAPAN
Apr 29, 2026
Some 15% of hospitals in Japan report sexual abuse
The survey by the Children and Families Agency, the first of its kind, was conducted online between December 2025 and January 2026.
Out-of-pocket expenses for medicine with ingredients and effects similar to those of over-the-counter drugs are set to be raised from March 2027.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 28, 2026
Lower House approves bills to raise out-of-pocket costs for OTC-like drugs
Under the new system 25% of the prices of OTC-like drugs will be added to out-of-pocket costs from March 2027, aside from those for cancer and other intractable diseases.
Health minister Kenichiro Ueno speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 24, 2026
Â鶹´«Ã½ health minister calls for measles vaccinations
According to the minister, 299 measles cases were reported between Jan. 1 and April 12, already exceeding the total figure for 2025.
The Finance Ministry in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2026
Japan proposes drastic cut in medical school enrollment
The Finance Ministry is considering the reduction because of an expected surplus of doctors due to the country¡¯s declining population.
Navigating cancer treatment as a foreign resident of Japan can be an added layer of stress, but nonprofit organizations and community resources are available to support those with a diagnosis.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Apr 20, 2026
Counseling and community for foreign cancer patients in Japan
Navigating cancer treatment as a foreign resident can be daunting, but mental health clinics, nonprofit organizations and other platforms can support the journey.
Japan's health ministry has imposed restrictions on blood and organ donations from people who have stayed in Britain or elsewhere in Europe between 1980 and 2004.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2026
Japan to lift organ donation curbs for those who have stayed in Europe
The change is expected to take effect as early as this autumn.
Lecanemab and donanemab aim to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease by removing a protein called amyloid-beta from the brain, whose buildup is believed to contribute to the death of brain cells.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 8, 2026
Less than 20% of patients in Japan interested in new Alzheimer¡¯s drugs received one
Many were ineligible or decided against taking the medications due to potential side effects and the high cost, a study has found.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER