Category: Health

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 24, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Infectious Diseases Japan

Japan begins pre-entry TB checks for foreigners staying over 3 months

Japan introduced mandatory pre-arrival tuberculosis screening on Monday for people planning to stay over three months, starting with those from the Philippines and Nepal, a government official said.

Vietnam is expected to be added to the list in September, with Indonesia, Myanmar and China to follow.

The number of foreign nationals diagnosed with the infectious disease while in Japan is on the rise, and they are comprised mostly of people from the six countries, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. While tuberculosis is curable and preventable, it killed an estimated 1.25 million people in 2023 and has likely regained its status as the world’s deadliest infectious disease after being temporarily overtaken by COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 23, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Employment Health Japan Work

Annual Economic Losses from Workers’ Health Issues Reach 7.6 T. Yen

Economic losses in Japan stemming from workers’ mental or physical disorders, including shoulder stiffness and sleeplessness, total around 7.6 trillion yen each year, a study by Japanese researchers has shown. The losses, linked to lower labor productivity, represent about 1 pct of the country’s nominal gross domestic product for 2024.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 16, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Disability Health Japan

Japan team creates device to measure dizziness symptoms in children

Graduate school students in Japan have developed a device to easily measure symptoms of orthostatic dysregulation, a disorder common among children that causes them physical difficulty getting up in the morning and dizziness when standing.
The team at Nagoya University’s graduate school hopes the device will help sufferers communicate their symptoms clearly when they need to skip classes due to their condition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 14, 2025 Number of comments0
Dementia Health Japan

Middle- to Old-Age Depression Likely Tied to Dementia

Abnormal tau protein causing dementia accumulates in the brains of middle- to old-age patients with mood disorders, such as depression, at a higher rate than in their healthy counterparts, a study has found. The study, led by Japan’s National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, or QST, is expected to lead to early detection and treatments based on objective diagnoses of dementia, because the cognitive functions of participating patients were normal at the time of analysis.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 10, 2025 Number of comments0
Children Education Health Japan Work

Experts Warn of “June Syndrome” among Children in Japan

Experts warn about so-called June syndrome, or mental and physical distress due to accumulating fatigue over the two months since the beginning of April, when many people start new jobs or schools in Japan. Much like the better-known May syndrome, or May blues, June syndrome is a general term for mental and physical disorders and is medically classified as adjustment disorder. Common symptoms include inability to get up in the morning, insomnia, headaches, abdominal pain, dizziness, nausea, malaise and loss of appetite. According to the education ministry, the number of students who refuse to attend elementary or junior high schools totaled a record 346,482 in the 2023 academic year through March 2024. Although there are no monthly data on the start of children’s refusal to go to school, many say that June syndrome is behind the increase in truancy.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 6, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Hospitals Japan Medical

Japan to Deny Entry of Foreigners with Unpaid Medical Bills

The Japanese government said Friday that it will deny entry of foreign tourists who have failed to pay medical expenses in the country in the past. The government also said that medium- and long-term foreign residents who have failed to pay national health insurance or pension premiums in Japan will not be allowed to renew their period of stay or change their status of residence.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 4, 2025 Number of comments0
Care Children Disability Health Japan Welfare

Many Needy Pregnant, Nursing Women Burdened with Living Costs

Some 80 pct of needy pregnant and nursing women in Japan are struggling to secure funds to cover living expenses, according to a survey conducted by Save the Children Japan. By employment status, 49.2 pct were jobless, and 24.8 pct were part-timers. Asked about their financial conditions, 47.6 pct said they were barely making ends meet. Meanwhile, a majority stated that they were short of money, with 29.9 pct saying they are dipping into savings and 21.7 pct saying they are relying on borrowings.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt May 15, 2025 Number of comments0
Health Japan Medical

OTC Drugs to Be Available at Convenience Stores in Japan

Japan’s parliament on Wednesday enacted a bill that will allow people to pick up over-the-counter drugs at convenience stores and other outlets without pharmacists. The bill to revise the pharmaceuticals and medical devices law was approved at a plenary meeting of the House of Councilors, the upper chamber of the Diet, the country’s parliament, following its passage through the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month. The revised law will require consumers to listen to explanations from pharmacists online before purchases. It will take effect by around spring 2027. The government expects the new system to be used also in areas with few pharmacies, such as remote islands and mountainous areas.