Japan has one of the most comprehensive preventive health checkup cultures in the world — annual health screenings (健診, kenshin, or 健康診断, kenko-shindan) are standard practice for residents and employees. Understanding the system helps foreign residents access checkups they may be entitled to, often at low or no out-of-pocket cost.
Types of Health Checkups Available
1. Employer-Mandated Health Checkups (定期健康診断)
Under Japan’s Industrial Safety and Health Act, all employers must provide annual health checkups for full-time employees and part-time workers above a certain work-hours threshold. These checkups are free to the employee and typically include: height/weight/BMI, blood pressure, vision and hearing, chest X-ray, blood tests (CBC, lipid panel, liver function, blood sugar, kidney function), ECG, and urinalysis. You receive results within a few weeks — Japanese results use Japanese ranges and Japanese notation but the values are identical to international standards.
2. Municipal NHI Health Checkups (特定健診, Tokutei Kenshin)
NHI holders aged 40–74 are entitled to a free or heavily subsidized Tokutei Kenshin (特定健診, metabolic syndrome screening) once per year. This is administered by your ward or municipal NHI office. You receive a voucher (受診券) in the mail. Take it to a participating clinic for the checkup. Includes waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, lipid panel, and liver function tests. If results flag metabolic syndrome risk, follow-up guidance (特定保健指導, tokutei-hoken-shidō) is provided.
3. Cancer Screenings (がん検診)
Municipalities offer subsidized or free cancer screenings for residents, typically organized by age group and gender:
- Stomach cancer (胃がん検診) — barium X-ray or endoscopy for residents 40+
- Colorectal cancer (大腸がん検診) — fecal occult blood test for residents 40+
- Lung cancer (肺がん検診) — chest X-ray and sputum cytology for residents 40+
- Breast cancer (乳がん検診) — mammography for women 40+, every 2 years
- Cervical cancer (子宮頸がん検診) — PAP smear for women 20+, every 2 years
Vouchers are mailed to residents or available from the ward office health section. Foreign residents are fully eligible — bring your residence card and insurance card to the participating clinic.
Comprehensive Checkups (人間ドック, Ningen Dock)
Ningen Dock (人間ドック, literally “human dry dock”) is a comprehensive full-day or half-day health examination available as a private option at hospitals and dedicated checkup centers. These go far beyond the basic annual checkup — including endoscopy, full-body MRI or CT options, detailed cardiac assessment, and cancer marker blood tests. Cost ranges from ¥30,000 to ¥150,000+ depending on the program. Many employers and health insurance societies (健保組合) subsidize Ningen Dock for enrolled employees — check your company’s benefits handbook or health insurance society (健康保険組合) for eligibility and voucher programs.
How to Book a Health Checkup
For employer checkups: HR or your company’s industrial physician (産業医) coordinates this. You receive a form or booking information annually — complete it.
For municipal Tokutei Kenshin: When you receive the voucher by mail, call or visit a participating clinic on the list included. The voucher has an expiry date (typically March 31 of the following fiscal year). Do not let it expire unused.
For cancer screenings: Contact your ward office health section (保健センター) to receive vouchers or be added to the notification list. Many wards now allow online application for screening vouchers. English assistance is available at most major city ward health offices.
Understanding Japanese Lab Results
Japanese health checkup results are delivered in Japanese but use standard international units for most values. A results sheet typically shows: measurement value, reference range (基準値), and a flag (A=normal, B=borderline, C/D/E=follow-up needed). Common Japanese test terms: 血圧 (blood pressure), 血糖 (blood glucose), HbA1c (HbA1c), 中性脂肪 (triglycerides), HDL/LDL (same), AST/ALT/γGTP (liver enzymes), 尿酸 (uric acid), クレアチニン (creatinine). If results indicate follow-up, your employer’s industrial physician or the checkup clinic will advise — or take results to your regular clinic doctor (かかりつけ医).
Vaccinations for Adults in Japan
Japan has a national vaccination schedule for children but adult vaccinations are primarily out-of-pocket or employer-provided. Practically useful vaccines for residents:
- Influenza (インフルエンザ) — ¥3,000–5,000 per shot; subsidized for those 65+ and some NHI categories. Available October–December at most clinics.
- COVID-19 — available through municipality programs; check current guidance
- Hepatitis B (B型肝炎) — 3-shot series if not previously vaccinated; covered under NHI as preventive for some categories
- Pneumococcal vaccine (肺炎球菌) — subsidized for residents 65+
- Tetanus booster (破傷風) — self-pay, available at most clinics on request
International travel vaccines (typhoid, yellow fever, etc.) are available at travel medicine clinics (トラベルクリニック) in major cities, typically self-pay.