Medical Equipment

Under these circumstances, in order for Japan’s healthcare system to continue functioning sustainably and stably, a paradigm shift is essential—one that not only reforms the system itself but also shifts the focus toward healthcare that maintains health and prevents illness. This transformation must be accompanied by the social implementation of technological innovations such as digital health and the safe and effective use of medical data to improve the efficiency of healthcare services.

The use of AI・IoT to monitor patient conditions, detect abnormal conditions at an early stage, and secure sharing of diagnostic findings enables timely and appropriate medical intervention. This helps to reduce the burden on patients, curtail medical costs, and thereby extend the healthy life expectancy and maintain the workforce.

Furthermore, securing a stable supply is an urgent issue. The segmentation of the global supply chain and the volatility of exchange rates and prices have a serious impact on Japan, which is heavily dependent on imports of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. It is necessary to establish a strategic supply system and a transparent procurement system.

The key to the smooth introduction of innovative healthcare technologies is the development of an innovation assessment system and the improvement of predictability and speed in Insurance reimbursement. In Europe, UNBRERA (Unified Benefit-Risk Evaluation for Rapid Access) has been advocated as a more comprehensive system in addition to DiGA (digital health applications) as a framework for medical apps and digital treatments, and both rapid assessments based on scientific evidence and accessibility support are being achieved. In Japan, discussions should also take into account the introduction of a similar framework.

Although some functionality has been introduced to allow viewing of health checkup and medication information using the My Number Card, progress in integrating this with personal health records (PHRs) has been slow, and the overall vision for digital transformation in healthcare remains insufficient. For the social implementation of cloud-based medical infrastructure and software-based medical devices—such as the permanent establishment of online medical consultations, incentivizing healthcare institutions to adopt cloud systems through reimbursement revisions, and the use of telemedicine and remote caregiving monitoring—international harmonization is essential. This must take into account regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and cybersecurity measures. Continued efforts to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) are also necessary.

EBC Medical equipment and IVD Committee will continue to promote policy-making activities utilising the following in order to contribute to the structural reform of the Japanese healthcare system and industry by taking advantage of advanced European technologies and institutions.

• Access to regulatory and technological developments overseas, including in the Europe
• Insights from a diverse range of member companies and a highly specialised reimbursement committee
• A proven policy network with government agencies, the Japanese Parliament, and academic associations
• Strengthening private-sector policy proposals through collaboration with related domestic organizations

Based on these, EBC will continue to contribute to the upgrading of the Japanese healthcare system and the strengthening of the stable supply system, as well as to the enhancement of the global competitiveness of the healthcare Industry.