Category: Medical

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 17, 2026 Number of comments0
Hospitals Japan Medical Podcast

Patient Dies, Two Critical after Injections at Hospital near Tokyo [Podcast Episode]

A male leukemia patient between 10 and 19 died and two other young male patients are unconscious after spinal injections of anticancer drugs at a hospital in the city of Saitama, near Tokyo, hospital officials have said. The Saitama Prefectural Children’s Medical Center is consulting police in view of the possibility that the incident resulted from a criminal or accidental cause, the officials said Wednesday. Of the three patients, one died in February, while a boy under 10 and the other patient, who is between 10 and 19, are in critical condition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 12, 2026 1
Children Crime Hospitals Japan Medical

Patient Dies, 2 Critical after Injections at Hospital near Tokyo

A male leukemia patient between 10 and 19 died and two other young male patients are unconscious after spinal injections of anticancer drugs at a hospital in the city of Saitama, near Tokyo, hospital officials have said. The Saitama Prefectural Children’s Medical Center is consulting police in view of the possibility that the incident resulted from a criminal or accidental cause, the officials said Wednesday. Of the three patients, one died in February, while a boy under 10 and the other patient, who is between 10 and 19, are in critical condition.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 11, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Disasters Earthquake Japan March 11 Medical Podcast

3/11 Earthquake 15 Years On [Podcast Episode]

Many evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture cite anxiety about a lack of medical services as a reason for their hesitation to return to their hometowns devastated by a severe nuclear accident following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. More than half of the population who lived in Futaba just before the triple disaster are still living outside their hometowns, although evacuation orders have been lifted in many places in the county. In Fukushima, the number of medical institutions has plunged since the disaster. Many of the 132 medical facilities that had operated in the prefecture have suspended operations, leaving only 47 currently in service.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 10, 2026 1
Disasters Earthquake Health Hospitals Japan Medical

15 Years On: Medical Care Key to Evacuees’ Return to Fukushima

Many evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture cite anxiety about a lack of medical services as a reason for their hesitation to return to their hometowns devastated by a severe nuclear accident following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.    More than half of the population who lived in Futaba just before the triple disaster are still living outside their hometowns, although evacuation orders have been lifted in many places in the county. In Fukushima, the number of medical institutions has plunged since the disaster. Many of the 132 medical facilities that had operated in the prefecture have suspended operations, leaving only 47 currently in service.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt March 6, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Japan Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. Medical

Tokyo Institute of Science Identifies Mechanism Causing Kidney Damage from Red Yeast Rice Supplements

Amid health problems linked to red yeast rice supplements produced by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, a research team at the Tokyo Institute of Science announced by the 5th that it has clarified part of the mechanism by which puberulic acid, a substance derived from blue mold and identified as the causal compound, triggers kidney damage. While the substance responsible had previously been identified, how it actually damaged the kidneys had remained unclear.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 23, 2026 Number of comments0
Genetics Japan Medical Podcast

Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Tokyo Gets Business Improvement Order [Podcast Episode]

Japan’s health ministry ordered a clinic in Tokyo to improve its operations on Friday 20th February over its violations of the law on safety in regenerative medicine. An on-site inspection of Ginza Phoenix Clinic found violations, including administrations of cultured cells using stem cells and dendritic cells by five doctors not listed in 10 regenerative medicine plans submitted by its director, Hisashi Nagai, to the ministry. Medical institutions face penalties for false or missing entries in mandatory regenerative medicine treatment plans.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 22, 2026 Number of comments0
Crime Japan Medical

Ex-Japan Cancer Center Doctor Cleared in Bribery Case

Tokyo District Court on Friday acquitted a former department chief at the National Cancer Center Japan, ruling that no intent on his part could be established in an alleged medical device bribery case. Defendant Yusuke Hashimoto, 49, former head of hepatobiliary and pancreatic oncology at the National Cancer Center Hospital East, was accused of receiving a total of 3.15 million yen in cash transfers from Zeon Medical Inc., a Tokyo-based medical device maker, in June 2020 and May 2021.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 21, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability Genetics Japan Medical

Regenerative Medicine Clinic in Tokyo Gets Biz Improvement Order

Japan’s health ministry ordered a clinic in Tokyo to improve its operations Friday over its violations of the law on safety in regenerative medicine. An on-site inspection of Ginza Phoenix Clinic found violations, including administrations of cultured cells using stem cells and dendritic cells by five doctors not listed in 10 regenerative medicine plans submitted by its director, Hisashi Nagai, to the ministry. Medical institutions face penalties for false or missing entries in mandatory regenerative medicine treatment plans.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt February 20, 2026 Number of comments0
Disability iPS Japan Medical

Japan Panel OKs Medical Products Using iPS Cells

A Japanese panel of experts on Thursday gave the green light for the health minister to approve the production and sale of two regenerative medical products that use induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells. The products, if approved by the minister, are expected to be the world’s first of their kind. The panel examined the products under a conditional approval system. Even if approved, additional data on the products will be collected for up to seven years.