The Niigata prefectural government said Sunday that an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a poultry farm in the city of Tainai. This is the fourth outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm in Japan this season and the second confirmed case in Niigata.
The prefectural government of Niigata, central Japan, said Tuesday that it has confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a poultry farm in the city of Tainai.It marks the third bird flu outbreak confirmed at a poultry farm in Japan this season. A total of 630,000 egg-laying chickens at the Niigata farm will be culled. According to the prefectural government, the farm reported abnormalities, including an increase in the number of chicken deaths, on Monday morning.
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.
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.
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.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden said Monday that it has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to three researchers, including Japan’s Shimon Sakaguchi, for their discoveries of regulatory T cells, which modulate the immune system.
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.
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.
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.
Makoto Yamamoto, a 70-year-old medical worker from the city of Oita, was rescued from the sea at around 10 a.m. but was confirmed dead at a hospital, according to the coast guard.
Barrier Free Japan