Category: Medical

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 1
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.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt August 6, 2025 Number of comments0
Health Japan Medical

Kyoto University Team Develops Pain Reliever Comparable to Morphine

 According to the team, the newly developed drug, Adriana, is a groundbreaking painkiller, which works on a completely different mechanism to morphine and other existing synthetic opioids. The drug has the potential to revolutionize pain control in the medical field, the team said. The team also expects that the drug will help resolve the so-called opioid epidemic, in which a large number of deaths occur mainly due to overdoses of opioids.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt July 17, 2025 Number of comments0
Crime Health Japan Medical

Japan Government Says Its Taking Strict Fentanyl Countermeasures

Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Tuesday that Japan is taking thorough measures against fentanyl, noting that Japanese customs have not uncovered any attempts to smuggle the synthetic opioid through the country in the past six years. Health minister Takamaro Fukuoka and Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato also mentioned fentanyl in separate press conferences on the day. The ministers’ remarks followed media reports that a Chinese organization is suspected of being involved in fentanyl-related exports from Japan to the United States.



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

‘Slapped cheek syndrome’, or Fifth Disease in Japan Hits 26 Year High

The number of patients with fifth disease, or slapped cheek syndrome, in Japan hit the highest level in some 26 years in the week that ended June 22, according to data compiled by the Japan Institute for Health Security.The number of fifth disease patients reported by some 2,000 medical institutions nationwide stood at 2.53 per institution in the week, the highest since the current counting method was adopted in 1999. In the following week through June 29, the figure came to 2.13, the third highest.Japan’s health ministry is urging pregnant women to consult medical institutions if they experience symptoms, as infections can lead to miscarriages.

by Michael Gillan Peckitt June 11, 2025 Number of comments0
Disability Hospitals Human Rights Immigration Japan Medical

Japan to Tighten Immigration Rules Over Unpaid Medical and Insurance Bills

The Japanese government plans to introduce a “rigorous screening” system by June 2027 that will deny visa renewals to mid- and long-term foreign residents who have failed to pay medical expenses, taxes, or social insurance premiums. The move comes as the Cabinet prepares to approve policies aimed at creating “an orderly and harmonious society with foreign nationals.” A 2024 health ministry survey found that 65.3% of medical institutions accepting foreign patients had unpaid bills, with foreign nationals accounting for 29.3% of debtors but just 1.4% of the total amount owed. Despite these concerns, officials acknowledge there is no nationwide data on insurance payment compliance by foreign residents.