Updated 12 Jun 2022. This page has sections on:
The doctor will see the moneyed and insured, but less fortunate also ail This article looks at the health care needs and medical services available for foreigners in Japan, comparing the luxury medical treatment available for rich foreigners with the problems in getting medical treatment for undocumented foreign workers or foreigners without medical insurance, or those who don't speak Japanese. Japan Times, 4 Jan 2008.
30 medical bases planned to serve foreigners ahead of Tokyo Olympics Foreigners in Japan will be able to consult medical coordinators and interpreters at around 30 health-care bases set up across the country by 2020, the year of Tokyo Summer Olympics. Asahi Shimbun, 7 Feb 2014.
Graduate student aids asylum seekers in Nagoya "Maho Hadano, a 23-year-old student of the Graduate School of International Development at Nagoya University, is busy offering asylum seekers advice on everything from how to fill in application forms and where to receive medical treatment to finding a place to live." Japan Times, 6 Feb, 2013.
Decade-long wait takes toll on asylum seeker: Periods in detention, 10 years in legal limbo leave Iranian with mental, physical scars An article about Jamal Saberi, an Iranian asylum seeker who had spent 10 years waiting to get refugee status and the effects on his health of being held in a detention center, sometimes in solitary confinement. The article includes an interview with Dr Junpei Yamamura from the Minatomachi Clinic in Yokohama who regularly visits Yokohama Detention Center and says many asylum seekers have similar experiences and medical problems to Saberi's. Japan Times, 5 Oct, 2010.
Protecting Japan’s foreign workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic This article looks at how the Covid pandemic has impacted different groups of foreign residents, at the support some have received, and at the situation of those who have not been supported enough, particularly trainees on the Technical Internship Training Programme. East Asia Forum, 3 Jul 2021.
New link added 20 Sep: Illegal foreigners released due to complications from pandemic " The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced immigration authorities to temporarily release from detention illegal foreigners who are scheduled for deportation, but many of the former detainees are unhappy about the situation." The article looks at the difficulties for those who have been released, including not being able to work and problems with paying for health care. Asahi Shimbun, 28 Sep 2020.
40,000 foreign trainees enter Japan amid virus as others fired This article looks at the situation of trainees on the Technical Internship Training Programme, especially from Vietnam, during the Covid pandemic, explains some of the criticisms of the programme and reports on a proposal to replace the programme with a different system. Asahi Shimbun, 21 Jan, 2021
Labor-starved Japan welcomes return of foreign workers This article looks at the situation of businesses that rely on foreign workers, particularly on the Technical Internship Training Programme, caused by the restrictions on foreigners coming into Japan during the pandemic. Nikkei Asia, 26 Sep 2020.
Vietnamese find lifeline at temple in Nagoya after losing jobs This article explains the stories of Vietnamese people sheltering at Tokurinji temple in Nagoya. They lost their jobs on the Technical Internship Training Programme and were unable to return home to Vietnam because of corona restrictions on travel and entry to Japan. The article refers to experts who blame the situation on problems with the Technical Internship Training Programme itself. Asahi Shimbun, 11 May 2020.
Tokyo sex parlor heads accused of illegally hiring foreign trainees The article describes a sex parlour which used Vietnamese women to provides sexual services. The women came to Japan to work on the Technical Internship Training Programme but lost their jobs in that due to the pandemic and could not return to Vietnam so turned to sex work to survive. Asahi Shimbun, 10 Nov 2020.
Death at immigration facility raises questions about medical care The death of a Sri Lankan woman, Wishma, at a Japanese immigration facility last month highlights what experts fear is a systemic failure to provide proper medical care. NHK World. 15 April 2021.
Detention center staff fail to aid dying asylum seeker: NGO A Myanmar asylum seeker collapsed and died after staff at a Japanese immigration center refused other detainees’ requests to summon a doctor, allegedly because he was on his lunch break, a pressure group has said. Japan Times, Oct 27, 2013.
System ‘failing asylum seekers’ The recent death of a Myanmar detainee at the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau underlines the inadequate medical treatment asylum seekers face nationwide from chronic staff shortages, experts say. Japan Times, 2 Nov 2013.
Two men die at immigration center Two detainees at an immigration center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, died over the weekend, an official said Monday, just months after the death of another man at the same facility. Japan Times, Mar 31, 2014.
Doctor hits immigration center health care: Long detention in packed cells spawns medical ills getting little attention An article about a report submitted by Dr Junpei Yamamura to the Justice Ministry’s Immigration Bureau on the health conditions of the detainees he saw between August 2003 and September 2004 at Higashi-Nihon Immigration Center in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture, that claims that foreigners without visas and people seeking asylum held at the center receive poor medical care, and some are suffering serious illnesses during their long detention. Japan Times, 16 Nov 2004. For a full report on medical conditions in detention centres, see below.
Persecuted Foreigners--- Human Rights Violation at Immigration Center under the Ministry of Justice --- by Yamamura Jumpei M.D. A detailed report on the medical treatment and health conditions of asylum seekers and people without visas in detention centres that argues: "At Japanese immigration centers, prolonged confinement deteriorates the detainee’s health, yet no adequate medical care is provided". Solidarity with Migrants Network Japan, 22 March, 2005.
Two decisions of Japanese court on detained Afghan asylum seekers A short article in a medical journal that looks at the treatment of asylum seekers from Afghanistan in Japan and that argues there is the possibility of mental harm, especially in asylum seekers who are in detention, since they are at great risk of psychological trauma. The Lancet, Feb, 2002.
Graduate student aids asylum seekers in Nagoya "Maho Hadano, a 23-year-old student of the Graduate School of International Development at Nagoya University, is busy offering asylum seekers advice on everything from how to fill in application forms and where to receive medical treatment to finding a place to live." Japan Times, 6 Feb, 2013.
Decade-long wait takes toll on asylum seeker: Periods in detention, 10 years in legal limbo leave Iranian with mental, physical scars An article about Jamal Saberi, an Iranian asylum seeker who had spent 10 years waiting to get refugee status and the effects on his health of being held in a detention center, sometimes in solitary confinement. The article includes an interview with Dr Junpei Yamamura from the Minatomachi Clinic in Yokohama who regularly visits Yokohama Detention Center and says many asylum seekers have similar experiences and medical problems to Saberi's. Japan Times, 5 Oct, 2010.
AMDA International Medical Information Center. This is an organization which provides foreign residents with medical advice and information.
SHARE a Japanese NPO that provides health support for migrants in Japan, including support for HIV positive migrants in Japan. 'In Japan, there are people with limited access to medical care. Quite a number of non-Japanese living in Japan find it difficult to go to the hospital because they are "not covered by Health Insurance," they are "not proficient in Japanese language," and so on.'
Refugee Assistance Headquarters 難民事業本部 This is the government affiliated organisation for providing support for refugees. It operates RHQ Support Center, which provides some medical support as well as Japanese language instruction, help with adapting to Japanese society and employment guidance for refugees.
Information on medical treatment for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan from the the Japan Association for Refugees in English and Japanese.
International Social Service Japan ISSJ counsels asylum seekers who come to Japan on issues including medical problems.
Catholic Tokyo International Center (CTIC) / カトリック東京国際センター Provides counselling on medical issues, as well as other support, for asylum seekers.
Migrant Health in Japan: Safety-Net Policies and Advocates' Policy Solutions An article by Neal S. Parikh "Japanese migrant policy prioritizes immigration control over migrant rights and welfare, which has clear consequences for migrant healthcare....disadvantaged migrant groups have poor health and face barriers in accessing mainstream healthcare, particularly for emergency, HIV/AIDS and maternal and child care. Advocates fashion a provisional safety net from existing policies to connect migrants with essential care, but this approach is of limited effectiveness. Policy solutions and relevant advocate opinion are considered in light of the failure of existing policies to meet uninsured migrants’ healthcare needs." Japan Quest, 22 March 2010.