Category: Medical

by Michael Gillan Peckitt November 5, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Infectious Diseases Influenza Japan Medical

Flu Season Starts Earlier Than Usual in Japan

Influenza outbreaks have started in Japan in late September, earlier than usual, partly because of increases in cross-border travel. According to the health ministry, the number of flu patients reported by regularly monitored medical institutions across the country in the week to Oct. 26 stood at 6.29 per facility. By prefecture, Okinawa, southernmost Japan, topped the list, with 19.40, followed by three neighboring Tokyo–Kanagawa, with 11.88, Chiba, with 11.82, and Saitama, with 11.73.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 23, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Elderly Japan Medical Nursing Care Politics

Balancing Medical Services, Costs a Major Challenge for Takaichi

New Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces a difficult challenge in maintaining the quality of the country’s medical and nursing care services while lowering related expenses, amid an aging population. Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), the new coalition partner to Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has called for lowering social security premiums for working people. But this requires reforms that are expected to increase the burden on society, including the elderly, as a whole. Since medical and nursing care services are offered at fixed prices set by the state, many service providers are struggling to cope with rapid inflation and are operating at a loss.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt October 12, 2025 Number of comments0
Japan Medical Welfare

Japan’s Medical Expenses Hit Record 48 T. Yen in Fiscal Year 2023

Japan’s national medical expenses hit a record 48.09 trillion yen in fiscal 2023, rising 3.0 percent from the previous year, the health ministry said Friday. Per capita spending also reached an all-time high of 386,700 yen, driven by an increase in influenza cases, an aging population, and the growing use of advanced medical technologies. Elderly people aged 65 or older accounted for nearly 60 percent of total costs, with per capita expenses at 797,200 yen—more than three times that of those under 65. Funding came primarily from government sources, public insurance premiums, and out-of-pocket payments by patients.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 9, 2025 Number of comments0
Cancer Health Japan Medical

Kyoto University Develops Protein to Help Remove Cancer Cells

The research group developed Crunch, short for Connector for Removal of Unwanted Cell Habitat, a protein that binds to unwanted cells to make it easier for macrophages to pick out their target. By modifying the Crunch protein’s structure, it can latch onto different types of unwanted cells. Mice with skin cancer or autoimmune diseases were injected with Crunch protein. The team confirmed that harmful cells, such as cancer cells, either exhibited suppressed growth or were reduced in number.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 5, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Health Japan Medical

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

Japan’s Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is considering allowing “sleep disorders” to be listed as an official medical department name at hospitals and clinics. The move comes after the Japanese Society of Sleep Research requested the change, citing a rise in conditions such as insomnia and hypersomnia and confusion over where patients should seek treatment. Currently, care is divided among psychiatry, respiratory medicine, and otolaryngology. The ministry’s advisory council aims to reach a decision by March 2026.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt September 1, 2025 Number of comments0
Birth Rate Health Japan Medical Sex

Japan Panel OKs Nonprescription Sales of Morning-After Pill

An expert panel of Japan’s health ministry has agreed that Aska Pharmaceutical Co. will be given approval to make and sell its emergency contraceptive pill Norlevo without a prescription. At a meeting Friday, the panel also agreed that the product will be classified as a drug that must be taken in the presence of a trained pharmacist for safety reasons. The panel decided not to set an age limit for access. But for individuals under 16, the age of consent to sexual acts, pharmacists would provide guidance as needed. Parental consent would no longer be required. Sales methods will be discussed at a later date.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 11, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Hospitals Japan Medical Technology

Osaka Hospital Hit by Cyberattack on Electronic Medical Record System Reaches ¥1 Billion Settlement with Contractors

In October 2022, the hospital was hit by a cyberattack using ransomware, which caused a system failure. Electronic medical records essential for medical care became unusable, forcing the suspension of new outpatient admissions and surgeries. The Osaka Acute and General Medical Center (Sumiyoshi Ward, Osaka City) announced on August 8th that it has reached a settlement in which three private contractors, whose systems served as the entry point for a virus, will pay the hospital ¥1 billion in connection with a cyberattack in 2022 that disrupted its electronic medical record system.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 7, 2025 Number of comments0
Alzheimer’s Health Japan Medical

Japan OKs Price Cut for Alzheimer’s Drug Lecanemab

A Japanese health ministry panel Wednesday approved a plan to cut the price of Lecanemab, an Alzheimer’s drug codeveloped by Japanese drugmaker Eisai Co. and U.S. industry peer Biogen Inc., by 15 pct in Japan starting Nov. 1. The price of the drug will be lowered to 97,277 yen for a 500-milligram bottle. Dosages are based on weight. For example, a patient weighing 50 kilograms would see an annual cost reduction from about 2.98 million yen to about 2.53 million yen.