Since 2010, Japan has been continuously conducting demonstration projects and demand survey projects for the review of medical business development in overseas countries led by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for overseas expansion of medical institutions, medical devices, and medical services. Japan has established medical centers in foreign countries to promote and experience high technologies such as medical devices and medicines, and has dispatched Japanese medical staff to educate them. In addition, efforts have been made to identify medical regulations in foreign countries and create countermeasures. However, many things changed starting from the outbreak of COVID-19. Eventually, Japan has invested a lot of money and effort to provide medical care, but in the face of a shortage of overseas dispatched medical staff, it is transforming into a preventive management center with less resource input for patients’ healthcare rather than a treatment-oriented approach.
As such, let’s take a closer look at how the recent overseas expansion of the Japanese medical industry has flowed since 2010.
According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s report (2017) submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, After they commissioned the Nomura Institute, the Nomura Institute plans to recruit Japanese medical institutions, medical institutions, and other operators, and form their respective consortiums to carry out several overseas business projects. This is largely divided into two categories: demonstration projects and demand survey projects for the review of medical business development in overseas countries.
The demonstration projects for the review of medical business development in overseas countries continued to be carried out “2010 Medical Service Internationalization Project” and “2012 Medical Device and Service Internationalization Project”, 8 projects in 5 countries in 2011, 23 projects in 10 countries in 2012, and 29 projects in 15 countries in 2013, and more than 70 projects from 2010 to 2017.
Japan conducted an empirical verification project in Russia to review the establishment of an endoscopic surgical training center, a breast cancer screening system improvement project, and a diagnostic center establishment project in Turkmenistan. In addition, they carried out dialysis medical provision projects, regional comprehensive care system construction projects, rehabilitation hub promotion projects in China, cranial neurosurgery treatment and projects, Japanese simple examination services and simple examination devices in India, and next-generation cancer diagnosis center in Brazil. In addition, among many Asian countries, Bangladesh conducted a Japanese clinical training base, a Japanese Bio Medical Engineer training project, and a video treatment technology promotion project, and a Japanese examination/inspection center establishment project in Cambodia. In addition, they carried out a dental technology training center project in Indonesia, a project to establish a Japanese medical connection center using ICT, and a project to support endoscopic advanced surgery, and a project to establish a Japanese medical technology training base in Myanmar. In addition, they carried out the International Advanced Digestive Endoscopy Center in the Philippines, the PACS Base in Japan, the Blood Purification Therapy Promotion Project in Thailand, a Japanese medical ICT promotion project, a Japanese contact lens diagnosis and distribution project, an empirical survey project on the opening of a health examination center, and a support project for the distribution of digestive system cancer diagnosis system were carried out in Vietnam.
As an empirical survey, Japan designated a business that is expected to become a business entity in the future in the consortium as a representative organization. From all over the world, Japanese medical institutions, doctors, and nurses provided Japanese medical services or medical device training services using Japanese medical devices and information systems, and conducted an empirical survey to review business models in a continuous form. In addition, it investigated the organization and countermeasures of the country’s medical system (whether it is licensed, the distribution/import system of devices or drugs, procedures for establishing a local corporation, labor problems when hiring local medical workers, etc.).
In addition, Japan conducted a demand survey in Asia and other emerging countries. Emerging countries predicted a rapid increase in demand for medical care, and due to the lack of local medical provision environment or medical information, Japan analyzed the local medical environment, identified trends of medical providers in the U.S. and Europe, and reviewed institutional tasks and countermeasures through literature and on-site surveys.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been conducting research projects for the practical use of medical technology in developing and emerging countries in line with the movement of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This is to establish the effectiveness by developing medical technology, medicine, and medical devices in accordance with the needs of the relevant country, and to establish the advantage by establishing evidence that helps overseas expansion. In addition, they have made efforts to adapt to the international medical regulation system so that Japanese medical devices and drugs can be easily certified / approved from medical regulations in overseas countries. In addition, they have provided support to develop human resources to dispatch Japanese medical staff (doctors, nurses, etc.) to ASEAN, Brazil, and India, and to transfer knowledge or experience about the public health insurance system.
In order to raise the low profile of Japanese medical institutions/medical enterprises, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has formed a joint support group with Japanese companies to dispatch them to the Middle East (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar: 400), India (September 2013, 130), Kazakhstan (November 2013, 120), Turkey (February, 100), Russia, 160). They will hold lectures and seminars on Japanese doctors or participate in symposiums for government officials, medical workers, and medical providers in the country. It was intended to participate in a project to build and operate medical facilities in the country, which is impossible with private capital alone, and to create a medical base in Japan. Of course, it was also used as a diplomatic strategy in line with the tour schedule of Japanese government factors.
In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has outsourced medical technology books that describe Japanese medical devices, medical services, and medical systems, and distributed them to government officials, embassies, medical institutions, and doctors from overseas.
MIKE CHOI
Asia Journal
