The Latest Technologies in Japanese Medicine: What Methods Are Available for Treatment and Diagnostics?

Japan is a leading country, known not only for its rich culture and technological achievements but also for its progressive healthcare system. The number of patients coming here for treatment grows annually, with the total number of medical tourists reaching 20 million.

The Japanese government has implemented supportive measures in the medical tourism sector. One of these measures is the introduction of “medical stay” visas, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. These visas are granted to patients in need of prolonged treatment or complex surgery, as well as those requiring rehabilitation after an illness or injury.

The average life expectancy in Japan is among the highest in the world, standing at 87 years for women and 81 years for men. Japan also leads in the number of centenarians. This achievement in healthcare was reached only after senior medical care departments began to be established nationwide, leading to a new emphasis on caring for the elderly population.

Japanese medicine, like American, is largely based on advanced technologies. The country has 137 research institutes, many of which have an international reputation. Japan ensures unhindered access to modern technologies, such as MRI, CT and cystoscopy.

Additionally, Japan has the world’s lowest infant mortality rate and the highest number of hospital beds per capita, which demonstrates the high efficiency of the health care system.

Advantages of Japanese Clinics

The popularity of Japanese clinics among international patients is high, and for a reason — they offer high-quality and affordable medical care. Japan has approximately 140,000 medical facilities, most of which meet the highest standards of organization.

Key distinguishing factors of Japanese clinics include:

• Accreditation and Prestige: Most clinics are accredited by international standards used in healthcare systems. Accreditation is conducted by authoritative organizations, such as JCI – American safety standards system, Japan Council for Quality Health Care – assesses hospitals from an objective, scientific and professional perspective regarding the organization management and the quality of health care services provided.
• Top Specialists: Many doctors in leading clinics have studied at the best medical universities globally or have trained under professionals in their field.
• Status of Wellness Centers: Most hospitals are long-term medical care institutions, where patients undergo not only full treatment courses but also all rehabilitation procedures in an inpatient setting.
• Affordable Treatment Costs: Compared to American and European prices for similar services.
• Highest Level of Progress: The widespread implementation of high-tech, research-based developments into the work of physicians.
• Innovative Treatment Approaches: For instance, the National Cancer Center of Japan uses modern proton therapy (heavy-ion radiotherapy) as a primary method for treating tumors. This is highly effective in early stages and has significantly fewer side effects than conventional radiotherapy. High healthcare standards in this field are maintained by the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology.

Treatment Protocols and Drug Accessibility

Japanese doctors work strictly according to modern international protocols approved by the Japanese Medical Association. This is achieved by constantly monitoring new clinical recommendations. In addition, specialists in research centers often suggest adding innovations and revising existing protocols due to advanced technology and the highest level of involvement of medical professionals in research.
Japan ranks second in the world in terms of pharmaceutical market size, supported by extensive government support and transparent drug registration laws. There are two main regulatory organizations, the PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency) and MHLW (Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare), which play a leading role in drug approval processes and ensure the safety of all authorized biopharmaceuticals. A distinct feature of Japan’s pharmaceutical market is the lengthy and complex process for foreign drugs to gain approval, including mandatory clinical trials.

Innovations in Popular Fields

Orthopedics

Orthopedics is a top priority for international patients seeking treatment in Japan. Leading hospitals have gained a reputation as some of the world’s best due to the professionalism of their doctors and the latest developments.

Here are some procedures that Japanese hospitals currently offer for musculoskeletal issues:

• Knee Joint Replacement with the iASSIST KNEE Navigation System: This system uses a gyroscope – a device that reacts to changes in angles. The orthopedic surgeon analyses the treatment and the depth of resection in real time. This improves the accuracy of the incisions and ensures perfect alignment with the endoprosthesis. With this method, the efficiency of the operation and the service life of the prosthesis are increased many times over.
• Spine Surgery for Severe Injuries: Complex spinal surgeries, including multiple vertebral compression fractures, requires a high-tech approach. In this case, two surgical robots operated by experienced surgeons are used simultaneously. One of them, Artis ZEEGO, is an innovative system that scans the operating field in real time and provides 3D images, allowing the orthopedic surgeon to perform ultra-precise manipulations. Meanwhile, the second robot, Renaissance, performs minimally invasive reconstruction. Using these two systems, damaged vertebrae are stabilized with implants, restoring the support function of the spine. Previously, before this type of surgery, patients with such severe injuries were left disabled. Now, with this technology, they have the opportunity to fully recover and regain lost motor skills.
• Minimally Invasive Phage Therapy for Treating Infected Wounds: This method involves injecting bacterial phages — viruses that target antibiotic-resistant bacteria, helping avoid limb amputation.
• Cellular Technology and Tissue Engineering: Cultivation of the patient’s stem cells on biocompatible carriers, followed by transplantation into damaged structures using endoscopy. Another latest development in cellular technology is intervertebral disc plasty, which is used for osteochondrosis.
• Spinal Fusion Micro-Surgery: Used to correct spinal deformities of variety genesis. The key point of the procedure is to provide stability in the desired spinal region by fusing the adjacent vertebrae and maintaining a set height between them to prevent nerve root compression. In addition, Spinal Fusion is used for incurable intervertebral disc disease. During the surgery, the disc is replaced with an implant (Peek-cage) that is filled with the patient’s bone tissue. The procedure is performed using the Spine Assist surgical robot – a navigator for precise guidance of the instruments and the implant. This approach guarantees high accuracy of the manipulation and efficiency of the final result.

Neurosurgery

Innovative approaches in neurosurgery provide patients with complex pathologies a chance for recovery and rehabilitation. Japanese research institutes, together with leading scientists, have developed effective treatment methods for common diseases.
Recent advancements have made neurosurgery safer, with fewer negative aftereffects.

Technologies in Japanese Neurosurgery:

• Neuroprosthetics: Electronic mini-implants that are placed on the surface of the spinal cord and act on the neural networks beneath them without using brain signals. They are used to restore limb sensation in cases of complete damage of the peripheral nervous system (e.g. paralysis and spinal cord rupture)
• Brain Mapping: Used to identify and preserve critical brain regions during stroke diagnostics.
• High-Intensity MRI Lasers: Non-surgical brain tumor removal.
• Osteogenic Implants: Speed up recovery after operations on the central nervous system.
• Brain Machine Interface (BMI): Advanced computer technologies enabling the brain to move limbs damaged after a stroke.

Robotic surgery with the innovative da Vinci and ROSA ONE Brain units is an important part of brain surgery. The uniqueness of the surgical interventions lies in the precise guidance of the instruments and the procedure through a mini hole in the skull.

Another advanced method of neurosurgery is Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT), which involves the active use of an MRI-guided probe to remove hard-to-reach or inoperable tumors. This method leaves the surrounding tissue intact.

For patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease, leading Japanese clinics offer Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a procedure involving the implantation of a brain stimulator that sends impulses to specific areas of the central nervous system.

Japanese neurosurgery’s success is attributed to both the integration of advanced innovations and ongoing training of neurosurgeons with global experts.

Artificial Intelligence in Japanese Medicine

AI is widely utilized in Japanese medical practice, from test result analysis to robotic assistants. AI-driven healthcare projects are a priority investment area in Japan, offering quick returns, and the demand for digital solutions in healthcare is steadily increasing.

Japanese scientists have applied AI to recreate images based on brain signals, potentially useful in treating hallucinations and sleep disorders. Additionally, neural networks are also used to study the results of tomography and endoscopy, which helps speed up the interpretation process and quickly identify patients with pathologies. AI is also used as virtual and augmented reality technologies for simulation and learning skills.

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