An interview with Mr. Ryoji Noritake, Chair of Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), along with an article contributed by Ms. Yui Kohno, Manager of HGPI, was featured as “Special Feature: Policy Recommendations from Health and Global Policy Institute” in the July 2026 issue of “Kenko Hoken”, published by the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies (Kenporen).

This feature provides a detailed introduction to the background and process behind HGPI’s publication of the policy recommendation in January 2026, “The Path to a Sustainable Healthcare System: Three Key Objectives for Public Deliberation“, as well as the three perspectives it presents.

In the interview, titled “New Dialogue and Practice: Close, Face-to-Face Discussions Promote Consensus Building”, Mr. Noritake states that the impetus for this recommendation was growing debate over the recent review of the High-Cost Medical Expense Benefit System, and notes that the episode highlighted concerns that patient groups’ voice had not been sufficiently reflected in the government’s decision-making process. He explains that bringing together diverse stakeholders from industry, government, academia, and civil society for repeated close, face-to-face discussions in a closed setting allowed participants to share a sense of crisis regarding the sustainability of healthcare financing. At the same time, he touches on the difficulty of clarifying key issues, such as how to define low-value healthcare and the value of high-cost pharmaceuticals, and how to achieve a fair distribution of the burden across generations.