National Aug 23, 2019
The proposal would end coverage for prescription and nonprescription drugs with identical ingredients, saving ¥60 billion a year but forcing patients to pay the full cost.
Voices | FOREIGN AGENDA Mar 24, 2019
Confessions from behind a mask ... and from the sickbed
by Andreas Neuenkirchen
Just as new blooms mark the arrival of spring, we know it's hay fever season in Japan thanks to an uptick in face masks. Like anyone who comes to Japan, I've flirted with the mask myself on occasion, but never really made a commitment. For ...
National / Science & Health Nov 27, 2018
Japanese and U.S. researchers say allergy shots for pregnant women may protect babies for life
by Magdalena Osumi
A group of researchers based in Japan and the United States believe that administering allergy shots to women during pregnancy could prevent their unborn children from developing allergies after birth and throughout their lives. The researchers believe the special shots, which prevent offspring from producing ...
National | Regional voices: Chubu May 21, 2018
Gifu factory devoted to producing allergen-free chocolate bars
A former president of a sweets manufacturer in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture, has established a small factory exclusively for producing chocolates that do not contain any of 27 allergens, including dairy products and soybeans. While major companies are reluctant to produce allergen-free sweets because it involves ...
National Feb 22, 2018
by Magdalena Osumi
Spring may still be a few weeks away, but if you are experiencing red, swollen and itchy eyes it could be because this year's hay fever season has already begun — with meteorologists saying that cedar and cypress pollen counts could be twice as ...
National Jul 11, 2017
Japan's biologists plead for urgent eradication of invasive fire ants
Biologists are calling for urgent nationwide action to prevent venomous fire ants from infesting Japan after the highly invasive species was spotted at several major ports, including Tokyo. "Japan needs to fight the insects as a national campaign," said Takahiro Murakami, an associate professor of ...
Issues | LEARNING CURVE May 31, 2017
School kitchens in Japan risk being swamped by food allergy claims
by James McCrostie
Data suggest Japan's schools are seeing a surge in food allergies among students, but are all the claims legitimate?
Lifestyle Jan 21, 2017
When pollen attacks! Experts reveal new approaches to combating hay fever
by Tomoko Otake
With the allergy season just around the corner, we examine the latest attempts to stem one of the country's most irritating problems.
National / Science & Health Jan 10, 2017
Kyushu University team IDs protein linked to atopic dermatitis itchiness
Atopic dermatitis can cause strong itchiness, but new research by Kyushu University could lead to development of drugs to finally put an end to sufferers' urge to keep scratching their skin. A team of researchers led by Yoshinori Fukui and Kazuhiko Yamamura of Kyushu University ...
National May 12, 2016
Soba noodle association develops fun test for allergies
by Daisuke Kikuchi
One of the major attractions for foreign tourists in Japan is delicious washoku (traditional cuisine). But visitors may not know that one dish includes an ingredient that can cause life-threatening allergic reactions — soba. To promote safety, an association of soba shops in the city ...
National Sep 18, 2015
Huh? Kissing nothing to sneeze at? Osaka doctor's allergy relief study bags Ig Nobel award
A Japanese scientist won the spoof Ig Nobel medicine prize in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Thursday for a study that revealed kissing could reduce allergic reactions in humans. "I wish that people will understand the new effect of kissing and I also hope that kissing will ...