There were 15,003 malpractice cases at the nation's 82 special-function hospitals in the two years to February, of which 387 involved patient deaths and other serious incidents, according to a health ministry survey released Tuesday.
The figure has been reported to each hospital's safety control committee, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. It is the first time that these figures have been compiled on a nationwide basis.
In one case, hospital staff at Saitama Medical University Hospital in Saitama Prefecture accidentally inserted into a patient's windpipe a drip for providing liquid nutrients.
In another case, a patient suffered cardiopulmonary arrest after being overdosed through an excessive number of injections at the Jikei University School of Medicine hospital.
Other cases included leaving gauze or needles in patients' bodies after surgery and mixing up patients during examinations.
Of the 15,003 malpractice cases recorded, Kitasato University Hospital topped the list at 2,926 cases, the survey said.
There were 186,000 cases in which accidents nearly occurred, with Osaka City University Hospital topping the list at 9,197 cases, according to the survey.