Updated 12 Jun 2022. This page has sections on:
Foreigners without residency status fear for their lives Thousands of undocumented foreigners in Japan have no access to public healthcare, even for life-threatening conditions. NHK World, 2022.
Uninsured foreigners in Japan face threats to life, ballooning medical costs Foreigners without residency status are in danger of death even outside detention centers. Since they are not allowed to join the country's health insurance system, in some cases they are unable to pay for the treatment of serious illnesses because they have to pay 100% of the medical expenses, which are very expensive. Mainichi, 2021.
Being There for Foreign Patients A hospital near Tokyo gets many patients from abroad, including tourists, local workers and even people in Japan illegally. Dr. Asaka Tomomi is responsible for them. Her overseas experience as a surgeon led to her appointment as head of a new department for foreign patients. Instead of using her scalpel to treat patients as she once did, she now translates, negotiates medical fees and deals with embassies. Though frustrated at the gulf between her ideals and reality, she continues to help alleviate the suffering of people far from home. NHK World, 2020.
Battling for Multicultural Healthcare: A Report from the Trenches A public health specialist and healthcare provider reports on the urgent issues confronting Japan’s internationally challenged healthcare system as it grapples with rapidly growing numbers of foreign patients. nippon.com, 2019.
Globalising Japan’s medical care An article that discusses both medical services of foreign residents in Japan and the employment of foreign medical professionals in the Japanese health service and which notes that Japan is focusing more on providing translation services than employing foreign medical workers. Japan Today 2015.
Hard Work, Furtive Living: Illegal Immigrants in Japan Includes a little information in paragraph 15 about the medical situation for undocumented foreign workers in Japan, Yale Online, 2 Mar, 2006.
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.
Kawaguchi city to vaccinate unregistered foreigners Unregistered foreign nationals who live in this increasingly multicultural city will be eligible for vaccinations against COVID-19, the municipal government. Asahi Shimbun, 2021.
病院（健康でいるために）Information on medical treatment for asylum seekers and refugees in Japan from the the Japan Association for Refugees in English and Japanese.
Access to prevention, care and treatment to HIV/AIDS in Japan for African Migrants in Japan from Africa Japan Forum
Problems Faced by Foreign Women Living in Japan Indicated in the Telephone Counseling - Tokyo English Lifeline and Asian Women’s Fund, 2003. Parts IV and V consider health problems faced by foreign women. The report is in English and Japanese.
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.
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.
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.
Frustration grows over deaths, ill treatment at Japan's immigration detention centers Following continuous cases of deaths at immigration facilities across Japan, including the passing of a Sri Lankan woman in March 2021, theer has been growing criticism surrounding Japan's treatment of foreign detainees. This article loks at the cases of two asylum seekers who become ill in detention, one of whom died.
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.
Center for Health and Rights of Migrants (CHARM) A non-profit organization in Osaka City established in 2002, that provides community support for people living with HIV. CHARM also works in collaboration with medical institutions, government agencies and other foreign residents support groups to create a multi-language environment so that people who require language support can gain access to medical and health services.
Musashino International Association (MIA) has a Multilingual Medical Questionnaire in English and other languages
AMDA International Medical Information Center. This is an organization which provides foreign residents with medical advice and information.
Share Health and Medical Care Services for Non-Japanese Living in Japan Share is an organisation providing health support in Africa and Asia as well as to migrants in Japan. "Currently, there are many non-Japanese people living in Japan. Quite a number of them find it difficult to receive medical care. Because of language barriers or because of high costs and non-coverage by health insurance, it is not easy for them to seek medical care when they become ill."
Himawari Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Institution Information / 東京都医療機関案内サービス Information on hospitals and pharmacies in English/Chinese/Korean/Thai/Spanish and emergency interpretation services from Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
外国人のための医療ガイドブック / Kyoto Prefecture’s Medical Guidebook for Foreigner
International Social Service Japan ISSJ counsels asylum seekers who come to Japan on issues including medical problems.
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.
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.
Latin American immigrants have limited access to health insurance in Japan: a cross sectional study by S Pilar Suguimoto, Masako Ono-Kihara,, Mitchell D Feldman and Masahiro Kihara BMC Public Health, 2012. This study assesses the pattern of health insurance coverage and predictors of uninsurance among documented Latin American immigrants in Japan.
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.
Access to maternal and child care for undocumented migrants in Japan, by Tomo Calain-Watanabe and Setsuko Lee, Journal of International Health Vol.27 No.3 2012
Healthcare: Japan’s Case, Paper for Workshop “Migration and Competitiveness: Japan and the United States” (March 22-23, 2012) by Jun Inoue. This paper looks at the numbers of and situation of migrant workers in healthcare in Japan. Migration News.
Medical Health Care for Foreign Residents - In an Era of Multiculturalism, by Lee, Setsuko and Shigeta Masanobu, Journal of International Health Vol.23 No.1 2008
Immigrant Health Issue in Japan: The Global Contexts and a Local Response to the Issue by Yoshiko Sugie and Toshiko Kodama, 2013. "The context of immigration in Japan has produced a vulnerable immigrant population that experiences difficulty in accessing health care due to language barriers, discrimination and lack of health insurance. The Japanese government’s response has focused on tightening immigration controls rather than addressing the health and human rights of immigrants. Local grassroots movements have risen to fill the gaps in government health services". The paper looks at one of these local movements, the SHARE immigrant health promotion program.
A Comparative Study of Oral Health Status in a Migrant / Japanese Sample by Jiro Otsuru, Masayuki Ueno, Kayoko Shinada, Vladimir W. Spolsky, Carl A. Maida and Yok o Kawaguchi. Med Dent Sci 2006. The aim of this study was to compare the oral health status of migrants to Japan with that of Japanese using the questionnaire and the Oral Health Status Index (OHSI). The study focuses on patients at Minatomachi Dental Clinic, a private facility that is owned by labors union, and about half of the patients in this clinic are migrants to Japan, mainly from Asia and Latin America.
外国人労働者と公的医療・公的年金, 岩 村 正 彦, 季刊・社会保障研究 Vol 43, No 2, 2007.
在 日外国人の母子保健統計指標に関する研究 ―国籍（出身地）別 乳児死亡、死産、妊産婦死亡45年間（1958年～2002年）の分析 / Research on the foreign mothers and children's health statistics -the analysis of infant mortality, still birth and maternal mortality by nationalities for 45 years (1958-2002), by S Lee. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan, 2003. (in Japanese)