Estimated population of 127m in 2018 (1.65% of the world’s population)1
Top causes of mortality include Malignant Neoplasm (tumor), Heart Disease (excluding hypertensives), Dementia, Cerebrovascular Disease and Pneumonia2
In 2018 the most common cancers were Lung, Colorectum, Stomach, Prostate and Breast3
There are an estimated 883,000 new cases of cancer and 409,000 deaths from cancer per year4
Healthcare System Overview5
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is responsible for the health system in Japan
Health insurance enrolment in Japan is mandatory with more than 3000 organisations providing insurance with the two main categories being through employers or the National Health insurance scheme
The national uniform fee schedule dictates prices, conditions for payment and co-payment levels for health services. Most health services and products are 70-90% covered by health insurance
People can choose their clinicians and facilities. Most health facilities are privately owned (e.g. about 80% of hospitals are private) however there are regulations around the number of hospital beds.
A National Health Insurance Drug Price list items that are approved for insurance coverage and the price which is regularly reviewed
Medicine prices are set through comparator pricing method (where a comparable medicine already) or a cost calculation method based on manufacturer’s costs to supply the medicine
Health Costs and Funders6
In 2019 total health spending was ~$600 billion (USD)7, equating to $4,928 per person and 10.9% of GDP
The annual growth rate of expenditure per capita was 1.8% between 2013-2018
About 85% of expenditure costs are covered by the Government and mandatory insurance and 13% is covered by out of pocket costs.
Major health expenditure cost categories include 28% for hospital inpatient, 29% for outpatient care and 20% for medical goods
Major Challenges8
Low birth rate and ageing population
Rising burden of chronic disease
Control healthcare expenditure through review of benefit and burden for healthcare insurance
Efficient system for medical provision under decreasing number of working age group
Digitization including integration of various databases
Sources:
World Bank Open Data, https://data.worldbank.org/ used in reporting of figures and calculation of percentages.
Sakamoto H, Rahman M, Nomura S, Okamoto E, Koike S, Yasunaga H et al. Japan Health System Review. Vol. 8 No. 1. New Delhi: World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia, 2018.
Health at a Glance 2019: OECD Indicators: DOI:https://doi.org/10.1787/4dd50c09-en
Noting MHLW National Medical Care Expenditure estimate of 42.6 trillion yen (~USD 405 billion) with a different health spend criteria to OECD
OECD (2020), OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews: Japan 2020, OECD Development Co-operation Peer Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/b2229106-en.; Sakamoto H, Rahman M, Nomura S, Okamoto E, Koike S, Yasunaga H et al. Japan Health System Review. Vol. 8 No. 1. New Delhi: World Health Organization, Regional Office for South-East Asia, 2018.; https://www5.cao.go.jp/keizai-shimon/kaigi/cabinet/2019/2019_basicpolicies_ja.pdf
