The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has a study group called the “Medical Industry Working Group” (chaired by Motoshige Itoh, professor of the University of Tokyo) to study measures for developing new medical services markets. The working Group has compiled and released a report as follows.

As expectation has increased for the establishment of a sustainable medical service provision system and for more satisfactory medical and health service provision, METI established the “Medical Industry Working Group” in September last year. The working Group has studied measures to construct a stronger base for the medical services sector and enlarge the market for such services without threatening the mid and long term financial sustainability of the sector, and compiled a report on these themes. The contents of this report constitute the core of the medical section in the government’s New Growth Strategy and METI’s Industrial Structure Vision.

This report analyzes that, in order to have medical services as a growth sector, a mechanism for autonomous activities by medical and caregiving organizations and related service industries should be established. Demand that does not need to be covered by the public benefit should be satisfied in the market, which should be made larger through combination with the public insurance system.

The report proposes that, for this purpose, it is important to create industries and their mechanisms to meet:
1) The need to support the lives of individuals and families involved in medical services (to avoid illness suffering, to manage illness, to avoid being a subject of medical and caregiving services through intensive rehabilitation, to support family members who are nursing patients and to provide many other services; and
2) The overseas need for Japanese medical services.
Satisfaction of these needs will enable autonomous growth of the medical sector and peripheral/related industries. By having the public insurance system reflect the fund accumulation and innovation generated there, it is expected that easing of the financial situation, realization of the social security services market and economic growth all be achieved at the same time.

* For details, see the point of the report (PDF:158KB) and the report text (in Japanese). (PDF:1,517KB)

June 30, 2010

Service Industries Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau