Health Promotion in Japan: Comparisons with U.S. Perspectives

Abstract

It is our hope that this issue of American Journal of Health Promotion will promote further discussions on health promotion among policy makers, businesses, health care providers, and researchers in Japan and worldwide. In exploring strategies for sustainable delivery of comprehensive quality health services, it is critical that discussions be based on data-driven empirical research. We would like to avoid premature rejection of health promotion, created by its careless introduction and lack of solid evaluation, in Japan or any other nation in the world. Careless introduction of a new innovation fails even if the innovation may have great potential. International dissemination is especially challenging because of the need to pay attention to many societal and cultural differences. Dissemination of health promotion is no exception. International collaboration in health promotion is already occurring through institutional cooperation as well as personal exchange. This collaboration is very encouraging, but it is critical to examine the external validity of research findings when disseminating findings across nations and cultures. Health promotion research in the United States has compiled substantial evidence that provides rationales for health promotion, especially in the workplace setting. It is hard to disagree with the idea of promoting health, preventing disease, and maintaining and enhancing the health of people. However, issues arise when it comes to making decisions as to who would pay for health promotion, how it is implemented, and how the outcomes are defined and evaluated. Vigorous effort has been spent on dealing with such issues in the United States. Because growing evidence shows that lifestyle factors account for a large portion of premature deaths and medical costs, legislation is beginning to emerge to make health promotion an important part of national health policy in the United States.1 Still, it is important to stress that what works in the United States may not necessarily work in Japan or other