How To Find Medical Care In Japan

EDITED January 7, 2022 to reflect new information.

Long ago, I asked a friend of mine on the JET Program, for his number one piece of advice. He told me to find a doctor. This post is on how to find medical care in Japan.

Moving to another country is stressful, especially if you’re moving for work instead of for a study abroad program. If you previously lived in Japan (such as myself), you may already have expectations for moving there. First, take those expectations and clear your mind like when SpongeBob forgot his name. But there are measures you can take to reduce your moving stress, one of them is finding medical care in your new city.

If you have a chronic medical condition that requires specialist treatment, you want to start finding medical care in Japan NOW! Don’t wait. If you’re healthy, you should still find medical care regardless. Here are the steps.

Step 1: Once you receive your JET Program placement notification, start researching doctors.

When I received my placement in Fukuoka Prefecture, I researched English-speaking medical professionals in the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyushu. I wanted to ensure I had easy access to high quality medical care wherever in the prefecture I ended up. Because I can’t speak enough Japanese, I wanted to make sure I found a doctor who understood my condition.

Even if you can’t find a doctor who speaks English, you will likely find a doctor who understands English. Many Japanese doctors have English language medical textbooks in their offices. If you find yourself in this situation, keep conversation strictly to medical jargon. You can also bring either an interpreter, or a PockeTalk translation device to help you out.

In my case, I ended up in Fukuoka City and found an English-speaking doctor who specialized in treating my condition.

Step 2: Get a letter from your American doctor, and get that letter PROFESSIONALLY translated into Japanese.

Regardless of whether you consult with an English-speaking doctor or not, you want to have copies of important documents professionally translated into Japanese. If you have a chronic condition, you want to be extra clear when communicating with your doctor about your situation. This is extremely important because a bad letter could not only lead to a poor first impression of you as a patient, It could also make it difficult to get the quality care you may need.

While I went to an English-speaking doctor, I asked a friend to translate my American doctor’s letter into Japanese. The doctor I visited ripped me a new one for the quality of both my doctor’s letter, and the Japanese translation. While this may sound like a failed mission, the doctor I visited referred me to a specialist for my condition. He also provided me with a properly-translated referral letter, and gave me copies of all the documents I needed. I now realized that while many Japanese doctors don’t speak English, they understood English.

Step 3: Make an appointment with your potential Japanese doctor.

Now you have selected your potential new healthcare provider. I’m going to break this down into three parts: Part A is for healthy people; Part B is for people with chronic conditions; and Part C is for how to get reimbursed for uninsured visits.

Part A: Wait until you get your Japanese Health Insurance.

Once you begin work at your contracting organization – your school or government agency – you will have to wait about one month in order to get your Japanese Health Insurance. JET Program Participants are insured through the National Health Insurance scheme, which covers 70% of your medical costs. That means you’re responsible for the remaining 30% on the day of your visit. If you’re healthy, save your money and go to the doctor once you get your health insurance card.

If your doctor doesn’t speak English, or have reception staff who does, ask your supervisor if they can call and make an appointment for you. Regardless, once you have insurance, make your appointment and go!

Part B: Have a chronic condition, go as soon as possible!

If you’re in my situation, you may need to establish rapport with a potential doctor ASAP. As with Part A, you should make the appointment yourself, or ask your supervisor to help you make an appointment. However, I think you should go as soon as possible and worry about insurance later. Here’s why.

You can get reimbursed for your expenses later, even if you have to pay 100-200% of the total cost. When I visited a University Hospital to consult with a specialist, I only paid about $120 USD, or 100% of the total cost. I will soon be getting a refund for this expenditure, reducing my co-payment down to only about $18 USD. Yes, you read that correctly. While the hospital staff were asking me if I was sure I wanted to spend so much money on an uninsured visit, it was still cheaper than most prescription medications in America!

Because of the price controls and regulations surrounding Japan’s health insurance system, I advise those with chronic conditions visit the doctor ASAP. Even if you pay 200% out of pocket, you can get reimbursed for it later as long as your insurance start date occurred before your visit.

Part C: How to get reimbursed for uninsured visits?

If you went to the doctor without your insurance card, and your insurance start date began before your visit, you can get refunded for the amount you overpaid. When I first went to the English-speaking doctor, I paid 100% of the cost. Once I got my insurance card, all I had to do was return to the clinic, show them my card, as well as copies of my receipts. Once I did so, I was issued new receipts, returned my old receipts, and refunded 70% of the cost. In the event you get charged 200% of the cost, I will be refunded 85% of what you paid.

What Else Do I Need To Know?

If you require medications which need to be injected, you can’t administer them yourself. In Japan, only qualified doctors can administer injections. Some doctors will even refuse to treat you because they don’t want to prescribe such. In that case, go to a University Hospital. University Hospitals are the best hospitals in Japan, and they have additional insurance which allows them to take on more risks.

When going to a University Hospital, most with have interpreters available. If they see you struggling with Japanese language, you will be given at least one interpreter to assist you with filling out paperwork, communicating with your doctor, patient billing, etc…

If you are eligible, you can get a High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit. This benefit reduces your maximum co-pay to a set amount. If you hit the maximum co-pay more than three times in a given year, your co-pay reduces to an even lower set amount.

As a JET Program Participant, you are also covered by JET Accident Insurance. If you get involved in an accident, such as breaking your leg while on a bicycle, you can file a claim with the Accident Insurance company and reduce your maximum copay to about $50 USD. I don’t believe this applies for preexisting conditions, just accidents. Regardless, you are insured.

I hope you found this post useful. Regardless of where you end up in Japan, I encourage you to stay healthy, and to prioritize your health. Thank you for reading.