There are concerns that “many residents might die as an indirect result of the earthquake and tsunami because some areas were not receiving adequate food or medicine.”
Mayor Shigeru Sakaguchi of Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, announced on January 7th that one victim of the Noto Peninsula earthquake who had evacuated to an evacuation center in the city had died of hypothermia.
So-called senior cafeterias, where elderly people from the local community gather and dine together, are increasing in Japan amid an increase in elderly people living alone.
The scheme is aimed at preventing social isolation among the elderly and promoting their mental and physical health.
The government adopted an ordinance Friday to abolish the current health insurance cards Dec. 2, 2024, for integration into My Number social security and tax identification cards.
The new issuance of health insurance cards will be terminated on the day. Existing cards within the period of validity will remain usable for up to a year under a one-off measure.
A single course of treatment with an Alzheimer’s drug developed by Japanese company Eisai Co. and U.S. firm Biogen Inc. will cost around 2.98 million yen ($20,500) per year in Japan and will be largely covered by public health insurance, a health ministry body said Wednesday.
As the drug, branded Leqembi, will be covered by public health insurance, those undergoing treatment will pay between 10 to 30 percent of the cost out of their own pocket, depending on their age and income.
A shortage of generic drugs is becoming serious in Japan amid the spread of influenza and the novel coronavirus, prompting the health ministry to make all-out efforts to sort out a structural issue haunting the industry.
Three organizations representing people with disabilities in Aichi Prefecture have submitted a written request to the prefectural government and the city of Nagoya demanding that the government take action in response to the issue of the Megumi Corporation (Tokyo), a welfare company that operates facilities for people with disabilities nationwide, overcharging its users for foodstuffs.
Japan’s health ministry has confirmed 5,695 cases where users of My Number social security and taxation identification cards were presented with wrong rates of out-of-pocket expenses at medical institutions.
Japanese department stores are expanding medical and beauty care services to take advantage of an increase in consumers wishing to avoid disease and stay healthy both inside and outside.
The stores aim to attract more shoppers through the face-to-face services, which are not possible online.
The team found that cancer’s total economic burden on Japanese society amounted to an estimated 2,859.7 billion yen. Of the total, 1,024 billion yen was attributed to preventable cancer, with the figure broken down by 673.8 billion yen for men’s diseases and 350.2 billion yen for women’s.
Barrier Free Japan