Tag - national-health-care

 
 

NATIONAL HEALTH CARE

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.
A reader for My Number cards doubling as health insurance cards is set up at a clinic in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, this month.
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.
Digital minister Taro Kono (right) tries out a device that allows the use of My Number cards as health insurance cards at Chigasaki City Hall in Kanagawa Prefecture on Aug. 9.
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.
Digital minister Taro Kono speaks at an online news conference on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2023
Japan's digital minister to return pay over My Number issues
A series of personal information leaks and registration errors related to the ID cards have heightened public anxiety about the system.
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.
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.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) sits next to digital minister Taro Kono while speaking at a government review meeting on the My Number national identification cards.
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 Times
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 Times
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 Times
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2023
Mothers denied postpartum care in 14% of Japan municipalities: survey
With the lowest birthrate since records began in 1899, the data underscore the country's need to address such issues.
Japan Times
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 Times
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2023
Japan enacts law to merge health insurance cards with My Number IDs
The government aims to execute the integration in fall next year despite growing concern about the security of personal data retained under the My Number system.
Japan Times
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Apr 29, 2023
Health ministry formally approves Japan's first abortion pill
The Mefeego pill pack can terminate a pregnancy of up to nine weeks of gestation, and is considered safer than the surgical abortions
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional voices: Chubu
Apr 24, 2023
Integration of My Number and health insurance cards accelerating
Concerns remain among medical and welfare workers who worry about the possibility of people who don’t own My Number cards having difficulty seeing a doctor.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 21, 2023
Japan panel approves nation's first abortion pill
Final approval from the health minister is expected to follow, but the timing remains unclear.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 7, 2023
Japan adds new HPV vaccine to routine inoculation program
According to the health ministry, most cervical cancer cases can be attributed to HPV infection through sexual intercourse, with many cases occurring at a young age.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Mar 10, 2023
Government to scale back COVID support with disease downgrade on May 8
The move means much of the state subsidies for screening and treatments will be scaled back and free COVID testing and outpatient care will end.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree