Dr. Kiyoshi Namba is a hard-core believer in medical technology. A breast cancer specialist, Namba has invested heavily in state-of-the-art medical equipment at his two clinics in Miyazaki Prefecture, claiming this provides exactly what he needs to counter the killer disease -- the earliest detection possible.

This month, he is taking a big leap forward, opening a flagship breast cancer clinic in the upscale Tokyo district of Minami-Aoyama.

Technology at the clinic -- including digital mammography, ultrasound and computer-assisted screening devices, as well as software programs on which to store patient records -- cost some 150 million yen.