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Lancet Special Series on Japan Launch Symposium

2,454 Live Views 1 In Crowd World-renowned medical journal the Lancet will publish a special series on Japan in September 2011, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Japan’s attainment of universal healthcare coverage, the first such special series by the Lancet focusing on a… World-renowned medical journal the Lancet will publish a special series on Japan in September 2011, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Japan’s attainment of universal healthcare coverage, the first such special series by the Lancet focusing on a single industrialized country. The series explores many facets of Japan’s health system, including its remarkable achievements in life expectancy and health status in a brief period of time, the advantages and limitations of universal healthcare coverage, its ability to maintain high quality of healthcare at low cost, achievements and challenges in the face of the world’s most rapidly aging society, and Japan’s commitment to global health and health diplomacy. The authors for this series analyze these themes while highlighting challenges for sustaining Japan’s system of universal coverage and providing recommendations for health experts inside and outside of Japan.

The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) and the Lancet will organize an international public symposium in Tokyo on September 1, 2011, as part of the series launch, titled “Restructuring Japan’s Healthcare System: Beyond the March 11 Disaster.”

Japan managed to rebuild its health system rapidly following the devastation of World War II and achieved universal coverage of health insurance in 1961. Today, it enjoys the world’s highest life expectancy and some of the best health indicators. At the same time, Japan faces serious challenges in maintaining its high level of health services in the face of a rapidly aging society and sluggish economic conditions. The March 11 earthquake and tsunami brought to light many vulnerabilities in the healthcare system, not only in the Tohoku region but throughout the country, including limited access to healthcare service in rural areas, lack of primary care physicians, inappropriate medical governance, and challenges facing elderly communities, to name only a few.

The main objective of this symposium will be to share the findings from the Lancet Special Series on Japan and the challenges confronting Japan’s health system in the wake of the disasters in Tohoku and the implications for the future direction of Japan’s health system which should be based on the principles of equity and solidarity. In addition, it is also hoped that the symposium will provide a forum for sharing Japan’s experience in achieving and maintaining a healthy population in the face of an aging population and changing economic conditions with other countries that are trying to strengthen their own health systems. In other words, the series and symposium present Japan with the opportunity to play an important role in creating a healthier world by sharing our successes and our challenges with experts from around the globe.

Date & time:
September 1, 2011, 9:30–17:30 (doors open at 9:00)

Venue: U Thant International Conference Hall, United Nations University (5-53-70 Jingu Mae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
http://www.tuat.ac.jp/Symposium/sympo20_3.pdf

Organizers: Japan Center for International Exchange, Lancet

Sponsors:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs;* Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare;* Ministry of Finance;* World Bank;* the Yomiuri Shimbun*

Participation: Free (pre-registration required; seating limited to 360 people on a first come first served basis)

Language: Japanese and English (simultaneous interpreting)

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