Medical Tourism in Japan: Visa, Hospitals, Costs and Interpreters

What medical tourism in Japan involves

Medical tourism in Japan means travelling to Japan specifically to receive medical care. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) describes the range broadly: comprehensive health check-ups (人間ドック, ningen dokku), medical examinations, treatment of illness, dental care and recuperation, including hot spring recuperation. In every case, the care is arranged in advance with a Japanese medical institution.

This is different from getting sick while on holiday. If you fall ill unexpectedly during a short trip, you are treated as a regular visitor and pay the hospital directly. Our guide to medical costs if you are uninsured in Japan covers that situation. This guide is about planned treatment.

The Visa for Medical Stay (医療滞在ビザ)

The Visa for Medical Stay is for foreign patients living overseas who come to Japan for treatment, and for the people who accompany them. You cannot apply for it on your own. MOFA requires every applicant to go through a registered guarantor (身元保証機関): a medical coordinator registered with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), or a travel agency registered with the Japan Tourism Agency. Both lists are published on the MOFA website.

1. Contact a registered guarantorChoose an organisation from the MOFA lists of medical coordinators or travel agencies, and ask it to arrange your treatment.
2. The guarantor arranges the hospitalThe guarantor finds a hospital that will accept you. If you contact a hospital directly, MOFA says the hospital should bring in a registered guarantor.
3. Get the visa documentsThe hospital issues a certificate of planned care (受診等予定証明書) and the guarantor adds a letter of guarantee (身元保証書). For a multiple-entry visa, a doctor's treatment plan (治療予定表) is also needed.
4. Apply at a Japanese embassy or consulateSubmit your passport, application form, photo, the certificate and guarantee, proof that you can pay and proof of identity. Stays over 90 days also need a Certificate of Eligibility.

Finding a hospital for foreign patients

Your guarantor normally arranges the hospital, but it helps to know the two official recognition schemes so you can ask the right questions.

Neither scheme is a ranking of medical quality. They show that a hospital has systems for receiving international patients. Ask the hospital or your guarantor which departments and procedures are available to you, what language support is provided on the day, and who explains results and consent forms.

Costs and insurance for medical tourism in Japan

Japan's public health insurance only covers people enrolled in it, so medical tourists pay the full cost themselves. MHLW's guidance for hospitals states that for visitors without Japanese public insurance, each medical institution sets its own self-pay price. The same check-up or procedure can therefore cost different amounts at different hospitals.

• Ask for a written estimateRequest an itemised estimate (見積書) for the treatment, tests, room charges and any follow-up visits.
• Check the payment termsAsk whether a deposit is required, which payment methods are accepted and how extra costs are handled if your treatment changes.
• Check your insuranceJNTO strongly recommends travel insurance for all visitors, but check whether your policy covers planned treatment in Japan, not just sudden illness.
• Budget for the guarantor and interpreterGuarantor fees, interpreting and translation are usually charged separately from the hospital bill.

For background, see is healthcare free in Japan? and why travel insurance is not always enough.

Bringing your medicines

If you take regular medicines, you can bring a limited supply for personal use. MHLW sets these amounts for bringing medicines without an Import Confirmation (薬監証明, yakkan shoumei):

Language support: translation and interpreting

Treatment in Japan usually happens in Japanese. Some hospitals have international desks or staff interpreters, but support varies by hospital, department and day. Three points matter most:

MedicTranslate provides medical translation and interpreting. Interpreters work in person across Kansai and beyond and by video or phone anywhere in Japan. Read more about medical records translation for Japan, what a medical interpreter costs and hospital admission support for foreign patients.

Before you fly: checklist

• Visa confirmedVisa for Medical Stay issued through a registered guarantor, or written confirmation from the embassy of which visa applies.
• Hospital and dates confirmed in writingDepartment, appointment dates, estimate and payment terms.
• Records translatedSummary, results, imaging reports and medicine list in Japanese.
• Medicines checkedWithin the personal-use limits, or Import Confirmation arranged.
• Interpreter bookedFor the consultations, consent and results that matter most.
• Emergency contacts saved119 for an ambulance, and the JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, open 24 hours in English, Chinese and Korean.