The foundation of Japan’s health insurance system was established in 1961 and today, it remains one of the only health systems in the world that guarantees citizens access to high-quality healthcare at an affordable cost. However, simultaneous challenges in the form of a falling birthrate, an aging population, and population decline have resulted in factors that may make it difficult for Japan to maintain its health system, such as a shrinking number of working-age adults and an uneven geographical distribution of physicians. While measures that aim to reform work styles for physicians are set to begin in earnest in April 2024, there are growing expectations being placed on Japan’s health system that must be met in order for it to continue protecting the health of the public.

To ensure effective and efficient healthcare access while maintaining care quality, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) is leading initiatives that aim to restructure care provision methods and systems in a manner that is tailored to the aforementioned ongoing changes in society. These include measures that are of great interest to society and that directly relate to citizens’ daily lives, such as the promotion of online medical consultations and telemedicine, or the establishment of family doctor services to elevate the quality of healthcare provided to each person.

In accordance with its mission of “achieving citizen-centered health policy,” Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) considers one of its key roles to be the dissemination of information on urgent policy issues such as these. For this upcoming 127th HGPI Seminar, we will host Dr. Yoshiteru Yano, who is responsible for investigating and promoting policies related to family doctor services and online medical consultation systems at the MHLW. Dr. Yano will speak on various policies for improving healthcare access and share prospects for the future. Furthermore, given the demand for expertise in medicine and health in various areas, based on his firsthand experience, Dr. Yano will also introduce a wide range of the functions of Medical Technical Officers and other professionals who work on these measures, as well as current circumstances surrounding that system.

HGPI also makes efforts aimed at maintaining and improving healthcare access that include hosting discussions on topics like healthcare digital transformation (DX) and the future of the healthcare system, or conducting public opinion surveys on satisfaction in healthcare. At this HGPI Seminar, we would like to reintroduce the latest policy developments and consider the future direction of the domestic health system together with everyone in attendance.

[Event Overview]

• Speaker: Dr. Shigehira Saji (MD, PhD. Professor and Chairman, Department of Medical Oncology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine)
• Date & Time: Tuesday, October 29, 2024; 18:30-19:45 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 500 participants

■Profile

Dr. Shigehira Saji (MD, PhD. Professor and Chairman, Department of Medical Oncology, Fukushima Medical University, School of Medicine)

Dr. Shigehira Saji is currently Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medical Oncology, Fukushima Medical University, School of Medicine. He also has an appointment as Director of Medical Oncology and Clinical Oncology Center of Fukushima Medical University Hospital.
He received MD degree in 1992 and PhD degree in 1999 from his hometown university, Gifu University School of Medicine. After residency at Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital, he accumulated his basic and clinical research experience at Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute (1998), Karolinska Institute, Sweden (1999-2001) and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Texas (2003).
Prior to his current appointment, he was chief physician of Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital (2001-2009), associate professor of Saitama Medical University (2009-2011) and of Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine (2011-2014).
His main areas of research include basic biology of hormone dependent breast cancer and translational/clinical research related to endocrine therapy and immune therapy. He conducted several research projects and published numerous papers in this field. He is a steering committee member of several global phase-III studies. He is involved in running of large clinical study groups such as JCOG (Japan Clinical Oncology Group) and JBCRG (Japan Breast Cancer Research Group), and serves as executive board member of JBCS (Japanese Breast Cancer Society), JSMO (Japanese Society of Medical Oncology) and BIG (Breast International Group). He is also a Steering Committee member of EBCTCG (Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group). He enjoys several tough sports such as ultramarathon around 70-120km, climbing the Japan Alps and backcountry skiing.