National Health Insurance Act

Municipalities and Societies shall provide specified health checkups, etc. and must also endeavor to provide other services consisting of health education, health counseling and health checkups, as well as support for the self-help efforts of insured persons relating to health management and the prevention of disease, and other services necessary to maintain and promote the health of insured persons.

When Municipalities and Societies find it necessary in carrying out the services necessary for the maintenance and promotion of the health of insured persons pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, they may request a business operator, etc. that employs or has employed insured persons (meaning a business operator prescribed in Article 2, item (iii) of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (Act No. 57 of 1972), any other person who has a duty to conduct health examinations (limited to those that cover items equivalent to specified health checkups) under laws and regulations, and any other person specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; the same applies hereinafter in this Article), as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, to provide a copy of the records relating to health examinations of the insured person that the business operator, etc. retains under that Act and other laws and regulations, or anything else specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as equivalent thereto.

A business operator, etc. that has been requested pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph to provide a copy of records relating to health examinations of an insured person retained under the Industrial Safety and Health Act or other laws and regulations must provide a copy of those records as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

In carrying out the services referred to in paragraph (1), Municipalities and Societies are to do so appropriately and effectively, making use of the medical insurance-related information prescribed in Article 16, paragraph (1) of the Act on Assurance of Medical Care for Elderly People, copies of records relating to health examinations of insured persons provided by business operators, etc., and other necessary information.

In carrying out, among the services necessary for the maintenance and promotion of the health of insured persons that a Municipality conducts pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), the services tailored to the physical and mental characteristics of elderly persons, a Municipality is to endeavor to implement them integrally with the health services for elderly persons prescribed in Article 125, paragraph (1) of the Act on Assurance of Medical Care for Elderly People and the community support projects prescribed in Article 115-45, paragraphs (1) through (4) of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act.

A Municipality may, when it finds it necessary in carrying out the services tailored to the physical and mental characteristics of elderly persons prescribed in the preceding paragraph, request another Municipality or an Association of Medical Care Systems for the Elderly Aged 75 and older (meaning an Association of Medical Care Systems for the Elderly Aged 75 and older prescribed in Article 48 of the Act on Assurance of Medical Care for Elderly People; the same applies in the following paragraph) to provide information on medical treatment relating to the insured person concerned under the provisions of this Act, information on medical treatment under the provisions of the Act on Assurance of Medical Care for Elderly People, copies of records relating to health checkups or health guidance prescribed in Article 125, paragraph (1) of that Act, copies of records relating to specified health checkups or specified health guidance prescribed in Article 18, paragraph (1) of that Act, information on health and medical services or welfare services under the provisions of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act, or other information specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as necessary for effectively and efficiently implementing the services tailored to the physical and mental characteristics of elderly persons.

Municipalities and Associations of Medical Care Systems for the Elderly Aged 75 and older that have been requested pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph to provide information or copies of records must provide that information or those copies of records as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

In order to carry out the services tailored to the physical and mental characteristics of elderly persons pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (5), a Municipality may also make use of, in addition to the information or copies of records provided pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, information on medical treatment relating to the insured person concerned that it holds itself, records relating to specified health checkups or specified health guidance prescribed in Article 18, paragraph (1) of the Act on Assurance of Medical Care for Elderly People, or information on health and medical services or welfare services under the provisions of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act.

Municipalities and Societies may provide on loan tools necessary for the medical treatment of an insured person and other services necessary to improve the medical treatment environment for an insured person, services necessary to provide insurance benefits, and financing for expenses and other necessary services for the medical treatment or childbirth of an insured person.

A Society may allow persons who are not insured persons to use these services where and only where this does not hinder the services referred to in paragraph (1) and the preceding paragraph.

With respect to the services necessary for the maintenance and promotion of the health of insured persons to be provided by Municipalities and Societies pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare shall publish guidelines, provide information and give other necessary support for the proper and effective performance of such services.

The guidelines referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be harmonized with the Health Checkup Guidelines, etc. set forth in Article 9, paragraph (1) of the Health Promotion Act (Act No. 103 of 2002).

With respect to the services necessary for the maintenance and promotion of the health of insured persons that Municipalities and Societies provide pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), a prefecture must endeavor to give necessary support, such as liaison and coordination among the Municipalities concerned that is necessary for the implementation of those services, dispatch of persons with specialized skills or knowledge, and provision of information, in order to ensure the proper and effective performance of those services.

In order to support the services necessary for the maintenance and promotion of the health of insured persons that Municipalities conduct pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1), a prefecture may, as provided by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, request the Municipalities within the prefecture to provide the following information relating to those insured persons:

information relating to the examination and payment of insurance benefits by the Municipality, such as claims made by health insurance-covered medical institutions, etc. pursuant to the provisions of Article 45, paragraph (4) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 52, paragraph (6), Article 52-2, paragraph (3) and Article 53, paragraph (4)), claims made by designated home-nursing providers pursuant to the provisions of Article 54-2, paragraph (9) and claims made by delivery-handling medical institutions providing services covered by health insurance or designated birthing centers pursuant to the provisions of Article 54-5, paragraph (6) (including, where the Municipality has entrusted its affairs relating to insurance benefits to a Federation of National Health Insurance Associations or the organization, information held by the Federation of National Health Insurance Associations or the organization in relation to the entrusted affairs);

copies of records relating to specified health checkups prescribed in Article 18, paragraph (1) of the Act on Assurance of Medical Care for Elderly People that were conducted by the Municipalities within the prefecture, and other information specified by Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.