1 System overview
Lifestyle-related conditions account for some 60% of all illnesses in Japan’s rapidly aging society. Numbers of people who have or are at risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, or dyslipidemia (hyperlipidemia), important risk factors for conditions such as heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases, are increasing in particular. To combat such lifestyle-related conditions, since April 2008 all health insurance societies in Japan have been required to implement systematic health examinations focusing on metabolic syndrome (visceral fat obesity) (specific health checkup and specific health guidance), for insured persons and dependents aged 40 and older. Phase Three of the specific health checkup and specific health guidance began in the 2018 fiscal year. Current abdominal girth, stratification, and other standards will continue to be maintained during the implementation period of Phase Three specific health checkups and specific health guidance.
Click here for the Health Insurance Society’s implementation plan > Implementation plan (PDF)
2 Specific health checkup
Specific health checkup refers to systematic annual health examinations provided for insured persons and dependents aged 40 and older, with examination items focusing on metabolic syndrome (visceral fat obesity).
The examination items included are listed below.
[Specific health checkup examination items]
- Examination by a doctor
- Questionnaire/physical measurements/abdominal girth measurement/blood pressure measurement
- Lipid test
- Neutral fat/HDL cholesterol/LDL cholesterol/non-HDL cholesterol
- Liver function test
- AST(GOT)^ALT(GPT)^γ-GTP
- Metabolism test
- Fasting blood sugar level or hemoglobin A1c/urinary sugar
- Urinalysis/kidney function test
[Optional examination items available as judged necessary by a physician]
- General blood test
- Hematocrit value/hemoglobin content/red blood cell count
- Serum creatinine test (including eGFR)
- Heart function test
- Funduscopy
Based on the necessity of health guidance, with a special focus on the degree of visceral fat buildup and number of risk factors identified by these tests, examinees are grouped into the categories of information provision, motivational support, and proactive support to select (stratify) eligible persons.
3 Specific health guidance
Specific health guidance refers to providing those at risk of developing lifestyle-related conditions with the information and support needed to help them to identify issues in their own lifestyle and related habits and to take action to change their own behavior.
Information provision:
All those undergoing specific health checkups are notified of the results of their examinations and provided with information to help them review their lifestyle and related habits.
Motivational support:
Support is provided related to motivation for improving lifestyle and related habits, by formulating action plans with personal guidance from physicians, public health nurses, or senior nutritionists. The results of the plan are evaluated after three or more months.
Proactive support:
Based on action plans formulated with personal guidance from physicians, public health nurses, or senior nutritionists, continual support is provided for three or more months to encourage improvements in lifestyle and related habits. In addition, the progress of the plan is evaluated and the results of the plan are evaluated after three or more months.
4 The Health Insurance Society’s operations
The Health Insurance Society continues to operate based on its traditional health management activities. The examination items of a specific health checkup are part of existing health examinations, with no changes in names.
Complete medical checkups also continue as before, with the examination items of a specific health checkup included.
iPjSpecific health checkup
Insured persons
For persons aged 40 and older working at various establishments, the Society continues to prioritize traditional periodic health examinations under the Industrial Safety and Health Law. (The examination items of a specific health checkup are included in periodic health examinations under the Industrial Safety and Health Law.) Specific health checkups are deemed to have been provided by sharing the results of health examinations (including results of checking past medical history) with the employer. Accordingly, eligible insured persons are deemed to have undergone a specific health checkup if they receive any of the following health examinations and their examination results (including questionnaires) have been shared by the Health Insurance Society:
@ Health examination at the examination center on the second floor of Kenpokaikan or at contracted medical care institutions
A Health examination at another medical care institution (when the person in charge at the establishment has applied for subsidy reimbursement after the examination and the necessary conditions are satisfied)
B Complete medical checkup received via the Health Insurance Society’s subsidy program
Dependents
As with insured persons, dependents aged 40 and older are deemed to have undergone a specific health checkup when they have undergone any of the following examinations and their examination results (including questionnaires) have been ascertained by the Health Insurance Society:
@ Family health examination at the examination center on the second floor of Kenpokaikan or at contracted medical care institutions
A Health examination at another medical care institution (when the subsidy has been applied for after the examination and the necessary conditions are satisfied)
B Family one-day complete medical checkup received via the Health Insurance Society’s subsidy program
They may also receive specific health checkups at group contracted facilities (medical care institutions), by taking specific health checkup tickets issued by the Health Insurance Society and their health insurance cards with them (free of charge).
Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons
Those aged 40 and older are deemed to have undergone a specific health checkup when they have undergone any of the following examinations and their examination results (including questionnaires) have been ascertained by the Health Insurance Society:
@ Health examination at the examination center on the second floor of Kenpokaikan or at a contracted medical care institution
A Health examination at another medical care institution (when the subsidy has been applied for after the examination)
B Complete medical checkup received via the Health Insurance Society’s subsidy program
They may also receive specific health checkups at group contracted facilities (medical care institutions) by taking specific health checkup tickets issued by the Health Insurance Society and their health insurance cards with them (free of charge).
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iQj Specific health guidance (insured persons, dependents, and Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons)
The Health Insurance Society will implement stratification based on examination results and send notices of specific health guidance to those who qualify.
You can receive specific health guidance (at no cost) at an institution providing it, by taking your health insurance card with you.
T@Searching for facilities providing specific health checkups
Click on “Search for specific health checkup facilities (NFHIS)” under the “Health examinations, disease prevention” menu on the Health Insurance Society website to view the following page:
*NFHIS's web site is only available in Japanese.
@Click on the password entry screen. Please have your health insurance card ready.
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