Japan is considering a major change to rules for foreign visitors
Japan is planning to tighten its immigration rules to crack down on the issue of foreign tourists leaving without paying their medical bills, according to media reports.
The new policy could force visitors to get private medical insurance and allow immigration authorities to screen tourists for any history of unpaid bills, local media outlets reported citing government sources.
The government's upcoming annual economic and fiscal policy review is expected to clearly state that the matter of insurance coverage for foreign visits will be addressed, Kyodo News reported.
As part of the tougher rules, the ministry of health, labour and welfare is likely to share information on foreign visitors with large unpaid medical bills with the Immigration Services Agency, enabling stricter entry screenings.
A nationwide survey by the ministry, covering around 5,500 medical institutions, found that 11,372 foreign visitors received medical treatment in Japan in September 2024. Of these, 0.8 per cent did not pay, resulting in unpaid bills amounting to roughly 61.35 million Yen ($427,000), Mainichi reported.
International tourism to Japan has surged in recent years, partly due to the weakening yen, and local hospitals and clinics are increasingly seeing a strain on their resources due to uninsured tourists visiting the country.
Last year, Asahi Shimbun reported that as tourism to Japan rises, more foreign visitors were using the country's top-tier medical facilities – yet a number of them leave without paying their bills.
For example, at Tokyo's St Luke's International Hospital, about 30 out of 2,000 foreign emergency patients annually fail to pay, the report said.
In 2024, a survey by the Japan Tourism Agency conducted from October 2023 to February 2024 found that nearly 30 per cent of visitors to Japan did not have insurance while in the country.
In 2022, the health ministry asked medical facilities if they had faced such issues. Almost 30 per cent of those surveyed said they had unpaid bills from non-Japanese patients, a group that may include both foreign residents and tourists.
Foreigners residing in Japan for more than three months are generally required to enrol in the National Health Insurance programme – a system designed for the self-employed and unemployed – unless they are covered by another form of public health insurance.
The government is also considering measures to prevent foreign residents from defaulting on national insurance premiums, with such steps likely to be included in the upcoming annual policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
President of California's largest union arrested while observing ICE raids in LA
Labor leader David Huerta was detained while observing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids taking place in Los Angeles. The Service Employees International Union California (SEIU) says that its president was injured during the ICE raids and is calling for his release, NBC4 Los Angeles reports. 'SEIU California members call for the immediate release of our President, David Huerta, who was injured and detained at the site of one of today's ICE raids in Los Angeles. He is now receiving medical attention while in custody,' Tia Orr, Executive Director of SEIU California, said. Mayor Karen Bass told NBC4 that Huerta had been pepper-sprayed during the incident. "He is doing ok physically, but I know what really impacted him the most was the emotional trauma of watching parents and kids being separated," Bass said. "He's going into ICE custody and we hope to get him out very soon." The mayor said she does not know why Huerta is being detained. The SEIU issued a statement supporting Huerta, insisting that he was "exercising his First Amendment right to observe and document law enforcement activity." 'We are proud of President Huerta's righteous participation as a community observer, in keeping with his long history of advocating for immigrant workers and with the highest values of our movement: standing up to injustice, regardless of personal risk or the power of those perpetrating it," the union said. Orr also condemned the ICE raids. 'We call for an end to the cruel, destructive, and indiscriminate ICE raids that are tearing apart our communities, disrupting our economy, and hurting all working people. Immigrant workers are essential to our society: feeding our nation, caring for our elders, cleaning our workplaces, and building our homes,' she said. Bass said she is going to meet with immigrant support groups to discuss plans for responding to situations like the mass ICE raids in the future. "My message to them is that we are going to fight for all Angelenos regardless of when they got here, whether they have papers or not," she said. "We are a city of immigrants, and this impacts hundreds of thousands of Angelenos." ICE arrested approximately 44 people in Friday's raid, according to Homeland Security Investigations. 'Today, ICE officers and agents alongside partner law enforcement agencies, executed four federal search warrants at three location in central Los Angeles. Approximately 44 people were administratively arrested and one arrest for obstruction. The investigation remains ongoing, updates will follow as appropriate," HSI spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said in a statement.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Chaos breaks out as ICE raids business in downtown Los Angeles and locals revolt: 'We will not stand for this'
Federal immigration officials clashed with protesters as they raided several downtown Los Angeles locations on Friday. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were spotted at a Home Depot, an apartment complex, federal courts and even in the fashion district. The raids come just days after Donald Trump 's watch dog Stephen Miller demanded ICE crackdown on migrants at popular shopping destinations to bolster their arrest numbers. Crowds of protesters swarmed the officers on Friday in an attempt to stop the detentions, reported KTLA. However, there efforts were unsuccessful and at least 45 people across seven locations were detained, according to Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Executive Director Angelica Salas. One of those detainees has been identified as Service Employees International Union California President David Huerta, who was pepper-sprayed and injured while being taken into custody, Mayor Karen Bass told NBC Los Angeles. 'He is doing ok physically, but I know what really impacted him the most was the emotional trauma of watching parents and kids being separated,' said Bass. 'He's going into ICE custody and we hope to get him out very soon.' Footage from local news station KABC showed officers throwing smoke bombs or flash bangs on the street to disperse the people so they could drive away in SUVs, vans and military-style vehicles. In one video, a person was seen running backward with their hands on the hood of a moving white SUV in an effort to block the vehicle. The person fell backward, landing flat on the ground. The SUV backed up, drove around the individual and sped off as others on the street threw objects at it. Other video showed people being handcuffed by federal authorities in a Home Depot parking lot. At one of the spots, immigrant-rights advocates used megaphones to speak to the workers inside a store, reminding them of their constitutional rights and instructing them not to sign anything or say anything to federal agents, the Los Angeles Times reported. The advocates also told the federal agents that lawyers wanted access to the workers, and sometimes yelled out specific names. Mayor Bass said neither her nor the Los Angeles Police Department were warned about the activity. 'As Mayor of a proud city of immigrants, who contribute to our city in so many ways, I am deeply angered by what has taken place,' Bass said. 'These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this. Police Chief Jim McDonnell released a statement claiming the department is not involved in 'civil immigration enforcement.' 'We will not assist or participate in any sort of mass deportations, nor will the LAPD try to determine an individual's immigration status,' McDonnell said. 'I want everyone, including our immigrant community, to feel safe calling the police in their time of need and know that the LAPD will be there for you without regard to one's immigration status.' The Los Angeles raids come as White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has reportedly demanded ICE agents raid Home Depots and 7-Elevens as part of his lofty new target for arrests of illegal migrants. Miller, one of Donald Trump's biggest hawks on immigration, said last week that Trump wants the agency to conduct 3,000 arrests every single day in an ambitious effort to ramp up his deportation agenda. He and 'border czar' Tom Homan have both suggested that the numbers are not currently where they want them. Homan backed the ambitious new benchmark on Thursday morning, insisting: 'We've gotta' increase these arrests and removals.' 'The numbers are good, but I'm not satisfied. I haven't been satisfied all year long.' During Trump's first 100 days back in office, ICE officials arrested 66,463 illegal immigrants.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Japan trade negotiator Akazawa says he made progress in US tariff talks
TOKYO, June 7 (Reuters) - Japan had made some progress in a fifth round of trade talks with U.S. officials aimed at ending tariffs that are hurting Japan's economy, Tokyo's chief tariff negotiator said. "Tariffs have already been imposed on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminum, and some of them have doubled to 50% along with 10% general tariff. These are causing daily losses to Japan's economy," Ryosei Akazawa, said in Washington on Friday after talks with officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Akazawa declined to say what progress they had made. The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between senior Japanese and U.S. officials before the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit that starts on June 15, where U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Japan also faces a 24% tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with Washington. "We want an agreement as soon as possible. The G7 summit is on our radar, and if our leaders meet, we want to show what progress has been made," Akazawa said. "Still we must balance urgency with a need to guard our national interests," he added. Last month Japan's trade negotiator said U.S. defence equipment purchases, shipbuilding technology collaboration, a revision of automobile import standards and an increase in agricultural imports could be bargaining chips in tariff talks. In a bid to reach an agreement with the U.S., Japan is also proposing a mechanism to reduce the auto tariff rate based on how much countries contribute to the U.S. auto industry, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday. Akazawa said Japan's position has not changed and that the tariffs are not acceptable.
