🏥 Public Comments Reopen on Intractable Disease Criteria

❓ What is changing?

On September 1, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) reopened public comments on a partial revision to the notice "On the diagnostic criteria and severity classifications for designated intractable diseases" (Notice Ken-hatsu 1112 No. 1, issued November 12, 2014 by the Director-General of the Health Service Bureau). The case number is 495260174, and submissions are accepted from 16:20 on September 1, 2026 until 23:59 on September 30, 2026, under the public comment procedure of the Administrative Procedure Act. The notice rests on Article 5(1) of the Act on Medical Care for Patients with Intractable Diseases (Act No. 50 of 2014) and MHLW Public Notice No. 393 of 2014. It sets the yardstick for which illnesses count as "designated intractable diseases" and how severe symptoms must be to qualify for the medical expense subsidy — so it directly determines whether a patient receives support. This round is a re-solicitation, not a first call: opinions are being gathered again on the same draft. The content of the draft is published on the e-Gov case page as three PDFs — an outline of the draft notice, the annex to the draft, and a summary of the revision. The public comment procedure invites views from the general public, and no nationality requirement is set for submitting.

👥 Who is affected?

• ●Foreign residents in Japan who receive, or plan to apply for, the intractable disease medical expense subsidy
• ●Patients and families whose eligibility depends on their diagnosis name and severity level
• ●Foreign parents raising a child with an intractable disease
• ●Staff at medical institutions and support groups that treat or assist such patients
• ●Anyone who wants to submit an opinion on the draft (no nationality requirement)

🌏 Impact on foreign residents

Whether you receive the intractable disease medical expense subsidy depends on two things: does your illness fall under a designated disease, and does your condition meet the defined severity level? When diagnostic criteria and severity classifications are revised, the same illness may become eligible, or the way severity is judged may shift. For foreign residents on long-term treatment in Japan, this feeds straight into monthly out-of-pocket costs. Applications are filed at the public health center (hokenjo) covering your address, and the prefecture or designated city grants the certification. You need a clinical survey personal record prepared by a physician designated by the prefecture, and the same document is required at renewal. The system covers those enrolled in Japan's public health insurance, with no distinction by nationality. The draft documents are in Japanese only and use technical medical terminology. If you are unsure whether your own or a family member's condition is involved, ask your attending physician or the staff at your local health center.