Japan has revised official prices for medical fees to be lowered by 0.12%
In fiscal year 2024, Japan medical fees are set to decrease by 0.12%, marking the fifth consecutive reduction in the fees, which are reviewed biennially.The adjustment affects official prices for medical services paid to hospitals and drugstores under the public...
Japan provides cash handouts to low-income households under an emergency relief package
The Japanese government has decided to provide newly cash-strapped households ¥100,000 (USD 774) to low-income households whose income is fallen in recent years. These cash handouts are provided as a part of an emergency relief package. The source of financing will...
Japan pledges $500 million for global vaccine-sharing efforts
Japan is one of the major contributors in funding initiatives for vaccines. Japan will contribute up to $500 million to U.N.-backed efforts to ensure equal access to COVID-19 vaccines especially among lower-income countries. The collaboration is co-hosted by Gavi, a...
Multiple fertility treatment methods to be covered by public insurance in Japan from April
Japan's public health insurance will include multiple fertility treatment methods under the health benefit package, starting from April 2022, aiming to reduce financial burden for those who try to achieve successful pregnancies. The treatments to be covered include...
Japan braces itself against the COVID-19 pandemic with the largest ever budget for 2022
Japan's cabinet has approved a record ¥107.60 trillion budget for 2022 to fight against the pandemic and increasing social security costs. Social security spending is more than a third of the overall budget to address the medical needs of the aging population. The...
Japan plans to increase wage for care workers and nurses
Japan plans to increase wage for care workers, nursery school staffs, and nurses under the new stimulus package. The expected total budget for the stimulus package is greater than 30 trillion yen, aiming to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 through boosting economic...
Japan plans for fiscal year 2022 total 111 trillion yen to control COVID-19
Due to a rise of social security expenditures, budget requests from government ministries and agencies reach 111 trillion yen ($1 trillion) in total for fiscal 2022. Social security costs accounted for one-third of government expenditures. The health ministry...
Japan to use $13 bil. in reserve funds for COVID measures
Japan's cabinet has approved 1.4 trillion yen ($13 billion) in fiscal 2021 reserve funds. This budget is mainly allocated to purchasing COVID-19 vaccines and securing medicines for patients. Of the total budget, the government allocated about 841.5 billion yen...
Japan changes its COVID-19 hospitalization policy
Japan's policy shifts the prioritization and hospitalization resources allocation to severely ill or high-risk COVID-19 patients. Severe illness refers to the patient has severe pneumonia and needs to be admitted to an intensive care unit and receive treatment...
Japan considers a second COVID-19 payment to vulnerable households
The Japan government is considering to provide monthly payments for needy households to help ease the financial strain due to COVID-19 pandemic. Considering monthly payments are ¥60,000 for single-member households, ¥80,000 for two-person...
Japan Sets New Prices on Majority of Pharmaceutical Products Sold in Country
The cost of the majority of pharmaceuticals sold in Japan will undergo major revisions April 1, when the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) sets new prices on more than 69% of drugs marketed in the country. The revisions mean the national health insurance...
The Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) Summit
The event, co-hosted by Japanese Prime Minister H.E. Suga Yoshihide and José Manuel Barroso, Chair of the Gavi Board, will aim to secure at least US $8.3 billion for 2020-21 in order to accelerate access to 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses for lower-income economies...
Health Insurance Associations of Japanese Corporations face deficit in wake of COVID 19
Japan’s Health Insurance Associations that is covered by the employer corporations based on contributions made from salaries has taken a hit due to COVID 19 estimates the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies. 78% of the nation's health-insurance unions...
Japan’s Hospitals Face Financial Hardships Under COVID-19
Since November 2020, when the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic started in earnest, Japanese hospitals are finding it harder to get by financially. Compared to the previous year, the number of inpatients and outpatients had decreased and although...
Japan to raise medical fees for people over 75 based on income
To address the rapidly graying population coupled with low birth rates in Japan, the Japanese Parliament is hiking out of pocket health expenditure for those aged 75 and above subject to a minimum income of 2 million yen. The plan will require people over 75...