Globalization of Health Examinations

Abstract

Health examinations requiring short hospital stays began in the 1950s in Japan, and automated health checks using automated screening devices and computers began in the 1960s in the United States. Automated health checks have now become standard for general health examinations in Japan. While voluntary health examinations went into decline in Western countries mostly due to a lack of evidence on improving health by health examinations, more than 5 million subjects are receiving health examinations each year in Japan. Moreover, a type of medical tourism promoted increase in number of people visiting Japan to undergo health examinations. Although views concerning personal health, preventative medicine and medical evidence are different in Western countries versus Japan, we need to disseminate information from Japan regarding the concept of our excellent health examination system globally.