
Japan eyes forcing tourists to get health insurance to tackle unpaid medical bills
Japan is considering making health insurance mandatory for foreign tourists as part of a crackdown on unpaid medical bills, with authorities also planning to share details of defaulters with immigration officials to prevent future abuse of the healthcare system.
The proposals come in response to growing concern that some visitors are receiving treatment and then leaving the country without paying, forcing Japanese hospitals – and by extension taxpayers – to absorb the costs.
According to a study by the health ministry, 11,372 foreign nationals sought medical treatment at about 5,500 hospitals across Japan last September. Around 0.8 per cent failed to settle their bills, resulting in unpaid charges totalling more than 61 million yen (US$425,000), the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday.
As a stopgap measure, the ministry is expected to begin sharing information about foreign visitors with unpaid medical debts with immigration authorities. This could allow officials to stop individuals from departing the country until they pay, or flag them for possible detention should they attempt to re-enter Japan.
People visit a shopping street in Asakusa district near Sensoji Temple, a popular tourist location in Tokyo, during the last day of 'Golden Week' holiday on May 6. Photo: AFP
Authorities are also looking at long-term deterrents, including requiring all incoming tourists to carry health insurance that covers medical emergencies during their stay.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese TV host widely praised for helping tourist with altitude sickness in scenic spot
A renowned Chinese television host has been praised for helping a tourist suffering with altitude sickness. Advertisement The plaudits came after curious online observers dug into her past life and discovered her legendary history. On May 28, television personality Zhu Xun and her colleagues came across a group of tourists after attending an environmental protection event in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province, southwestern China. Zhu Xun gives the stricken woman oxygen from a bottle after she collapsed. Photo: One woman from the group was suffering from altitude sickness and had fainted. Symptoms of the condition include headaches and vomiting. In extreme cases it can be fatal. Zhu offered her bottled oxygen and gave her acupressure. The tourist recovered after several minutes, then asked Zhu for a hug and a photo together. The tourist said she was 'so lucky' to have been looked after by Zhu. Advertisement Garze is a famous tourist county with beautiful scenery. Its highest elevation is 5,688 metres and its lowest is 3,325 metres. Zhu's generosity has been widely praised on social media.


South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Japan eyes forcing tourists to get health insurance to tackle unpaid medical bills
Japan is considering making health insurance mandatory for foreign tourists as part of a crackdown on unpaid medical bills, with authorities also planning to share details of defaulters with immigration officials to prevent future abuse of the healthcare system. The proposals come in response to growing concern that some visitors are receiving treatment and then leaving the country without paying, forcing Japanese hospitals – and by extension taxpayers – to absorb the costs. According to a study by the health ministry, 11,372 foreign nationals sought medical treatment at about 5,500 hospitals across Japan last September. Around 0.8 per cent failed to settle their bills, resulting in unpaid charges totalling more than 61 million yen (US$425,000), the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Thursday. As a stopgap measure, the ministry is expected to begin sharing information about foreign visitors with unpaid medical debts with immigration authorities. This could allow officials to stop individuals from departing the country until they pay, or flag them for possible detention should they attempt to re-enter Japan. People visit a shopping street in Asakusa district near Sensoji Temple, a popular tourist location in Tokyo, during the last day of 'Golden Week' holiday on May 6. Photo: AFP Authorities are also looking at long-term deterrents, including requiring all incoming tourists to carry health insurance that covers medical emergencies during their stay.


South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
As Japan's birth rate falls to a record low, a ‘critical' demographic crisis unfolds
Japan is facing a severe demographic crisis, marked by a historic low in its birth rate alongside a rapidly ageing population. In 2024, the number of babies born in the country fell to 686,061, marking the first time this figure has dropped below 700,000 since record-keeping began in 1899, according to a health ministry announcement on Wednesday. Births dropped by 41,227, or 5.7 per cent, from the previous year. It was only two years ago, in 2022, that the figure fell below the 800,000 birth threshold. A ministry official said the situation was 'critical' as 'multiple complex factors are preventing individuals from fulfilling their hopes of marriage and starting families,' The Asahi newspaper reported. The country's demographic crisis is advancing 15 years ahead of experts' predictions, who had forecast around 755,000 births for 2024, and did not anticipate that births would fall below 690,000 until 2039. Additionally, Japan's total fertility rate – the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime – dropped to a historic low of 1.15, down from 1.20 the previous year, underscoring the country's ongoing trend of delayed marriage and childbirth. Both the birth and fertility rates have decreased for nine consecutive years. The figures exclude foreign nationals born in Japan and Japanese born outside the country. Japan also saw a record high of 1,605,298 deaths in 2024, a 1.9 per cent increase from the previous year. This led to a population loss of 919,237 people, marking the 18th consecutive year of decline and the largest recorded.