Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry Council Considers Adding “Sleep Disorder” to Medical Department Names, Along with Internal Medicine

From Jiji

September 4 2025

TOKYO – On the 4th, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s Medical Ethics Council began discussions on whether to add “sleep disorders,” such as insomnia, to the list of medical department names that medical institutions can display on their signs. The idea is that it would be used in combination with existing specialties like internal medicine, and a summary of the discussions is expected by around March next year.

“Sleep disorders” is a general term for conditions related to sleep, including insomnia and hypersomnia, where patients experience excessive daytime sleepiness. In April, the Japanese Society of Sleep Research submitted a formal request to the ministry, arguing that problems are increasing and calling for the addition of the term as a department name.

Currently, treatment is spread across multiple fields, including psychiatry, respiratory medicine, and otolaryngology, making it difficult for patients to know where to seek care. The society requested revisions so that institutions could label departments as “Sleep Disorder Internal Medicine” or “Sleep Disorder Psychiatry,” among others.