Japan’s health ministry says there is a low risk of a local outbreak of the Nipah virus in the country. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/06/japan/science-health/nipah-virus-japan-risk-low/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #india #nipahvirus #mhlw #health
Amid an acute labor shortage, foreign workers in Japan hit a record high in 2025, totaling 2.57 million as of the end of October. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/30/japan/foreign-workers-record-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #immigration #immigrationservicesagency #mhlw #foreignworkers #expats #tourism #china #vietnam
Japan’s suicide death toll fell below 20,000 for the first time on record last year, although elementary, junior high and high school student suicides climbed to a new high. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/japan/suicide-figures-decline/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #suicide #mhlw #children #mentalhealth #elementaryschools #juniorhighschools #highschools
The health ministry will designate eight drug ingredients as having abuse potential under the law in response to rising concerns about potential overdoses among young people using over-the-counter medicines. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/25/japan/science-health/japan-medicine-new-abuse-risk-designation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #pharmaceutical #health #drugs #mhlw
The health ministry has released for the first time five-year survival rates for new cancer patients by cancer type that are based on data from Japan’s national registry. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/15/japan/japan-5-year-cancer-survival-rates/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #cancer #surveys #mhlw #health
Cases of abuse against people with disabilities in Japan reached a record high of 3,770 in fiscal 2024, the welfare ministry has said, citing an increase in consultations and reports to local governments. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/disability-abuse-cases-record-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #mhlw #disability #surveys
A health ministry panel has agreed to raise copayment limits for high-cost medical care, with income threshold categories refined to ensure that those who earn more pay more for treatment. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/16/japan/science-health/expensive-treatment-fees/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #hospitals #health
Japan is expected to lower the state-set prices of drugs in its fiscal 2026 revision after a health ministry survey found that market prices are lower than the official prices. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/04/japan/japan-to-lower-drug-prices/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #drugs #mhlw #hospitals
The number of regular smokers in Japan has reached a low not seen since 2022, at only around 1 in 7 people, a health ministry survey has found. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/03/japan/science-health/national-health-nutrition-survey/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #food #health #smoking #salt #diabetes #mhlw
A new strain of influenza is spreading across Japan, leading to a rapid rise in cases this year. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/02/japan/science-health/flu-season/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #flu #vaccinations #health
In August, for the first time, over half of participants at the Japan's national memorial service for those who died in World War II were born after it ended, highlighting the urgent need to hand down wartime memories. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/02/japan/society/war-memories-legacy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #wwii #internalaffairsministry #atomicbombings #aging #mhlw
A government subcommittee on public health insurance has mostly agreed to ask patients for additional payment for OTC-like prescription medicines while still maintaining insurance coverage for them. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/28/japan/health-insurance-otc-drugs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hospitals #medicine #drugs #mhlw
The profit margin at general hospitals in Japan, excluding psychiatric institutions, stood at minus 7.3% on average in fiscal 2024, a 0.2 percentage point improvement. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/26/japan/general-hospitals-in-red/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #hospitals #doctors #wages #mhlw #surveys
A welfare ministry expert panel has broadly approved a draft revision to the reduction rate for basic welfare payments, following a Supreme Court ruling that found the government's cuts to welfare benefits unlawful. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/17/japan/welfare-payments-smaller-reduction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #japanesecourts #socialwelfare #poverty #mhlw
Flu cases in Japan have exceeded an alert level of 10 per regularly monitored medical institution, suggesting the possibility of a large-scale outbreak within four weeks. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/07/japan/science-health/flu-cases-alert/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #flu #health #mhlw
The underlying wage growth remained steady in September, keeping the Bank of Japan on its tightening path as markets look for triggers for the bank’s next move. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/11/06/economy/wage-growth-september/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #mhlw #wages #boj #japaneseeconomy #economicindicators #tariffs #us
Wasteful and ineffective use of taxpayer money by the Japanese government in fiscal 2024 totaled about ¥54.081 billion in 319 projects, according to a Board of Audit of Japan report. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/05/japan/tax-money-wasted/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #meti #mhlw
The seasonally adjusted job-to-seeker ratio stood at 1.20 in September, flat from the previous month, with the number of effective job seekers falling by 0.8% and that of effective job openings by 0.7%. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/10/31/economy/job-september-unchanged/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #mhlw #jobs #jobhunting #wages #internalaffairsministry
A record number of workers applied for mental health-related compensation in fiscal 2024, according to health ministry data released Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/28/japan/society/karoshi-white-paper/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #mhlw #overwork #surveys #jobs #karoshi #mentalhealth
The health ministry has started considering ways to promote the use of follow-on products of very expensive original biological drugs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/26/japan/science-health/follow-on-biologics/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #medicine #mhlw #pharmaceuticals
