#mhlw — Public Fediverse posts

Health minister Kenichiro Ueno, who oversees the ¥318 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund, said the fund is still considering whether a review of its asset allocation is needed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/09/08/markets/gpif-allocation-review/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #gpif #pensionfunds #pensions #mhlw

The health ministry plans not to impose consumption tax on additional out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs with ingredients and effects similar to those of over-the-counter medicines, sources said Monday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/31/japan/otc-drugs-tax-exemption/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #consumptiontax #taxes #medicine #pharmaceuticals #health #mhlw #drugs #drugstores

A severe labor shortage remains the main reason Japanese companies hire foreign workers, a government survey showed Monday, highlighting the economy's reliance on overseas labor despite tighter immigration rules. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/08/31/companies/firms-hire-foreigners-rules-survey/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #surveys #mhlw #depopulation #aging #nonregularworkers #foreignworkers #jobs

Japan spent a record ¥49 trillion on medical expenses in fiscal 2025, reflecting the country's aging population and advances in medical technology, according to preliminary data. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/31/japan/science-health/medical-expenses-record/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #health #mhlw #hospitals #aging #insurance

Starting Tuesday, the labor ministry will stop universally urging companies to cap employees' overtime at 45 hours per month, leaving many wondering: Is Japan backpedaling on its work-style reforms? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/30/japan/society/japan-work-life-overtime/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #mhlw #overwork #surveys #jobs #karoshi #mentalhealth

An expert panel of the health ministry on Wednesday broadly agreed on a plan to make it mandatory for businesses handling dietary supplements to report health issues associated with such products. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/23/japan/supplements-linked-health-issues/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #pharmaceuticals #health #mhlw

The number of people who received government compensation for death and illnesses related to overwork hit a record for the fifth straight year in fiscal 2025, pointing to worsening conditions for the nation's workers. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/15/japan/science-health/japan-karoshi-overwork-record/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #overwork #surveys #jobs #karoshi #mentalhealth

Citing a lack of scientific evidence regarding their health risks, Japan's health ministry said it will hold off on strengthening regulations concerning secondhand smoke from heated tobacco products. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/07/09/japan/science-health/passive-smoking-panel/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #smoking #health #medicine #mhlw

A Tokyo court convicted a section chief at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare for stalking a female subordinate and illegally entering her home, sentencing him to two years in prison, suspended for five years. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/06/30/japan/crime-legal/japan-official-stalking-convicted/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #mhlw #stalking #sexualharassment #bureaucracy #japanesecourts

A male worker at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been indicted on charges of stalking a subordinate in her 20s, including following her and entering her home without permission, sources have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/06/25/japan/crime-legal/health-ministry-worker-indicted-stalking/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #mhlw #stalking #sexualharassment

A ceremony was held in Tokyo on Monday to restore the honor of leprosy patients in Japan, who had suffered severe discrimination based on the government's past forced isolation policy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/06/22/japan/society/leprosy-patients-honor-restoring/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #leprosy #discrimination #mhlw

Japanese workers' real wages have increased for a fourth month, marking the longest stretch of gains in four years and bolstering the case for the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates this month. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/06/05/economy/real-wages-rise-april/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #japaneseeconomy #economicindicators #boj #wages #kazuoueda #middleeast #mhlw #internalaffairsministry

Japan's health ministry is set to ban the cannabinol, or CBN, an ingredient derived from cannabis. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/31/japan/japan-ban-cannabis-ingredient-cbn-june/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #drugs #mhlw #cbn #marijuana

Japan's health ministry plans to begin providing about ¥470 million in aid this fiscal year to medical institutions that conduct a large number of organ transplants from brain-dead patients. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/28/japan/science-health/organ-transplant-hospitals-aid/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #hospitals #death #transplants #medicine #aid

The health ministry on Thursday ordered Kissei Pharmaceutical to add a warning to the package insert of Tavneos, a drug for vasculitis, or blood vessel inflammation, after the deaths of 20 patients who took the medicine. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/22/japan/science-health/kissei-vasuculitis-drug-warning/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #kisseipharmaceutical #pharmaceuticals #mhlw #health #tavneos

A health ministry panel has approved healthcare coverage for Sumitomo Pharma's Parkinson's disease treatment Amchepry, making it the world's first commercialized medical product derived from iPS cells. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/05/13/japan/science-health/ips-parkinsons-disease/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #drugs #medicine #parkinson039sdisease #sumitomopharma #ips

The number of Japanese visitors to South Korea as medical tourists, including for aesthetic treatments, stood at about 600,000 in 2025, up 36.0% and ranking second after Chinese, the South Korean government said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/28/japan/medical-tourists-south-korea/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #southkorea #tourism #mhlw #medicaltourism #southkoreajapanrelations

To better address drug misuse among young people, Japan will impose stricter controls on the sale of certain over-the-counter medications to those under the age of 18 from May 1. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/27/japan/science-health/overdose-tighter-regulations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #mhlw #drugs #drugstores #medicine

As cases rise, health minister Kenichiro Ueno said Friday he will call for nationwide vaccinations to prevent measles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/24/japan/science-health/health-minister-measles-vaccines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #measles #vaccinations #mhlw #kenichiroueno

Economist Yuri Okina has been tapped to become the first female head of the Government Pension Investment Fund's key management committee. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/03/27/gpif-female-economist-lead/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #gpif #pensionfunds #pensions #mhlw

Japan's health ministry announced it has designated cannabis-derived cannabinol (CBN) as a "designated drug," banning its manufacture, import, sale and use starting June 1, except for limited medical purposes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/19/japan/society/cbn-ban/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #drugs #mhlw

Hospitals and clinics offering sleep disorder treatments will soon be able to prominently highlight this area of expertise, following a recent health ministry decision to ease rules on advertising their specialties. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/17/japan/science-health/sleep-disorder-specialty/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #health #sleep #mhlw #drugs #apps

A system to cover the total costs of child delivery through public health insurance was approved in a Cabinet meeting on Friday, as Japan aims to tackle a rapidly declining birth rate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/13/japan/society/childbirth-costs-coverage/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #pregnancy #insurance #mhlw #nationalhealthcare

A labor ministry survey has shown that 10.5% of workers in the country want to work longer hours. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/03/06/japan/workers-long-survey/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #surveys #mhlw #sanaetakaichi #overwork #workstylereform

The government has postponed a decision on expanding the number of elderly people required to pay 20% of their nursing-care service costs out of pocket, concerned the move could add to the burden of rising costs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/24/japan/society/japan-nursing-care-decision-delay/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #mhlw #nursingcare #elderly #aging

A panel of experts gave the green light for the health minister to approve the production and sale of two regenerative medical products that use induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/19/japan/medical-product-ips-cells-ok/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #ips #medicine #mhlw

Japan’s health ministry says there is a low risk of a local outbreak of the Nipah virus in the country. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/06/japan/science-health/nipah-virus-japan-risk-low/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #india #nipahvirus #mhlw #health

Amid an acute labor shortage, foreign workers in Japan hit a record high in 2025, totaling 2.57 million as of the end of October. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/30/japan/foreign-workers-record-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #immigration #immigrationservicesagency #mhlw #foreignworkers #expats #tourism #china #vietnam

Japan’s suicide death toll fell below 20,000 for the first time on record last year, although elementary, junior high and high school student suicides climbed to a new high. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/japan/suicide-figures-decline/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #suicide #mhlw #children #mentalhealth #elementaryschools #juniorhighschools #highschools

The health ministry will designate eight drug ingredients as having abuse potential under the law in response to rising concerns about potential overdoses among young people using over-the-counter medicines. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/25/japan/science-health/japan-medicine-new-abuse-risk-designation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sciencehealth #pharmaceutical #health #drugs #mhlw