Tag - national-health-care

 
 

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE

A vial of the Moderna COVID-19 booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants. Japan will roll out an updated version targeting the XBB variant on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Explainer
Sep 19, 2023
Japan to begin COVID vaccine drive targeting XBB subvariant
The free shots will be offered until March next year to prepare residents for an expected uptick in infections during the winter.
Nobody wishes for a medical emergency, but preparing for one while you're in a foreign country can only make things easier.
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Sep 18, 2023
How to avoid medical purgatory when hospitalized in Japan
Much like a legal will, a visit to the hospital is the last thing for which you want to prepare — yet doing so will save you stress and worry.
New health minister Keizo Takemi is the son of Taro Takemi, a prominent physician who was dubbed “Emperor Takemi” due to the enormous and often dictatorial power he wielded over health care policy as president of the Japan Medical Association.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 15, 2023
Critics worry about new health minister's ties with lobby group
Keizo Takemi is the son of a former president of the Japan Medical Association, a political lobby mostly made up of doctors in private practice.
A man receives a COVID-19 vaccination  at Aoyama University in Tokyo in August 2021.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 9, 2023
Japan to end free COVID-19 vaccinations in March
From fiscal 2024, the country will provide a COVID-19 shot once a year between to people aged 65 or over who are at high risk of severe symptoms.
A survey by a health ministry research team has found that a significant proportion of doctors in Japan are at risk of death from overwork.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 29, 2023
Around 20% of doctors in Japan at risk of death from overwork
A survey showed that 20.4% of full-time doctors worked over 60 hours per week, exceeding the weekly legal working hours of 40 hours.
A Japanese doctor helps a non-Japanese patient check in at the front desk of a hospital.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Aug 25, 2023
Let’s get clinical: Navigating a trip to a Japanese hospital
You don't need to be stressed out about your linguistic ability when you check into a Japanese hospital, so brush up on some terms beforehand.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 25, 2023
Linkage of My Number and insurance cards faces delays
A survey found that the linkage work was incomplete for 770,000 people across the country for whom the process was underway.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2023
My Number and beyond: What's holding back Japan’s digitalization?
The transition from analog to digital in the public sector has been a long-standing challenge for the country, spanning at least the past two decades.
Tourists walk along the road that leads to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto on Friday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Aug 14, 2023
New coronavirus variant EG.5 gains momentum in Japan
The prevalence of EG.5, called Eris by health experts, nearly doubled in July to account for 22% of cases in Tokyo.
If you have a specific birth plan in mind, like giving birth at home, it's important to make sure the clinic you use offers that option.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 14, 2023
Giving birth in Japan? Here’s what you need to know.
Giving birth can be overwhelming — even more so if you don’t understand the local language or know the steps you need to take.
Prachi Gupta (left) after the birth of her first child in 2018
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Aug 14, 2023
For foreign expecting mothers in Japan, a struggle over maternity norms
Different expectations over things like natural births and weight gain can cause anxieties for non-Japanese.
PODCAST / deep dive
Aug 10, 2023
Why is modernizing Japan so darn tough?
Reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to break down how Japan’s digitalization hiccups risk exposing how backward things are.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2023
Japan aims to fix medical fee errors linked to My Number by August
System errors over the use of My Number cards as health insurance certificates have caused many patients to have to pay the full amount of medical costs out of their own pocket.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2023
Public opposition grows over My Number and health insurance merger
Resistance to the integration of the two cards has been driven by reports of errors and privacy breaches when the cards have been linked.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 19, 2023
Japan to roll out COVID-19 booster targeting XBB subvariant in the fall
A vaccine subcommittee under the health ministry is aiming to prepare for another spike in infections possibly arriving in the winter.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 13, 2023
Japan panel weighs making morning-after pill available over the counter
Under the current policy, a visit to a medical institution and a prescription are required to purchase a morning-after pill.
JAPAN
May 7, 2023
Japan steps into post-pandemic phase with scrapping of COVID measures
The move will have a far-reaching impact on the nation’s health care system and beyond, affecting everything from the cost of treatment to the reporting of COVID cases.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?