ID :
118880
Mon, 04/26/2010 - 22:58
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/118880
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Japan eyes creating long-term medical visa system for foreigners
+
TOKYO, April 26 Kyodo -
The government is considering creating a ''medical visa'' system for foreigners
keen on receiving high-quality long-term medical treatment in Japan, senior
government officials said Monday.
The government wants to attract wealthy sufferers of a range of ailments in
China and other Asian countries to Japan, so that the nation's medical industry
can cash in on such patients, the officials said.
The government intends to integrate the visa idea into a package of economic
growth policies it plans to draw up possibly by the end of June, they said.
The Foreign Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry expressed
willingness to create the new visa category in a hearing the same day of
relevant bureaucrats by the National Policy Unit of the Cabinet Secretariat.
Keisuke Tsumura, parliamentary secretary of the Cabinet Office in charge of
national policy planning, told reporters, ''Medical treatment is a major theme
for our economic growth strategy, so we would like to incorporate the medical
visa's creation into our growth strategy.''
Under the current visa rules, foreigners keen on receiving Japanese medical
services enter Japan on the basis of short-term tourist visas allowing them to
stay for up to 90 days, and those who wish to stay longer to receive more
medical care have to apply for visa extensions.
But there have been cases where Japan has turned down such applications, which
have dissuaded would-be foreign patients from traveling to Japan to receive
long-term care.
Tsumura said the government is considering the creation of the new category by
introducing visas whose holders would be allowed to stay past 90 days or by
simplifying visa extension procedures.
The government will have the two ministries and the Justice Ministry quickly
deliberate on the proposal, the officials said.
The health ministry has also proposed allowing foreign taxpayers in Japan to
use the medical insurance system into which they have paid premiums in their
own countries, in cases where they opt to receive medical services at Japanese
hospitals, they added.
==Kyodo
TOKYO, April 26 Kyodo -
The government is considering creating a ''medical visa'' system for foreigners
keen on receiving high-quality long-term medical treatment in Japan, senior
government officials said Monday.
The government wants to attract wealthy sufferers of a range of ailments in
China and other Asian countries to Japan, so that the nation's medical industry
can cash in on such patients, the officials said.
The government intends to integrate the visa idea into a package of economic
growth policies it plans to draw up possibly by the end of June, they said.
The Foreign Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry expressed
willingness to create the new visa category in a hearing the same day of
relevant bureaucrats by the National Policy Unit of the Cabinet Secretariat.
Keisuke Tsumura, parliamentary secretary of the Cabinet Office in charge of
national policy planning, told reporters, ''Medical treatment is a major theme
for our economic growth strategy, so we would like to incorporate the medical
visa's creation into our growth strategy.''
Under the current visa rules, foreigners keen on receiving Japanese medical
services enter Japan on the basis of short-term tourist visas allowing them to
stay for up to 90 days, and those who wish to stay longer to receive more
medical care have to apply for visa extensions.
But there have been cases where Japan has turned down such applications, which
have dissuaded would-be foreign patients from traveling to Japan to receive
long-term care.
Tsumura said the government is considering the creation of the new category by
introducing visas whose holders would be allowed to stay past 90 days or by
simplifying visa extension procedures.
The government will have the two ministries and the Justice Ministry quickly
deliberate on the proposal, the officials said.
The health ministry has also proposed allowing foreign taxpayers in Japan to
use the medical insurance system into which they have paid premiums in their
own countries, in cases where they opt to receive medical services at Japanese
hospitals, they added.
==Kyodo