Anyone who lives in Japan shall be a member of either public health insurance system. Public health insurance system is run by National health insurance, Japan health insurance association, health insurance union, mutual aid association and Elderly Person’s Medical Program.
Japan health insurance association and health insurance union are insurance systems for people employed by companies. Under these system, employers must bear a half of insurance premium for each employees.
Like this, every company in Japan has a role for employee’s’ healthcare from perspective of social insurance, and moreover, as a matter of course, employees health is related with employee’s performance.
Therefore, employee’s healthcare is becoming a business strategy of Japanese company. That says, employee’s health is important not only for individual employees but also company’s works and each company is about to invest for its own employee’s healthcare.
As a global trend, healthcare business market is growing. And what a unique trend in Japan is that business for “employee’s healthcare” is getting more and more important as healthcare business.
There are several role imposed to companies under industrial safety and health act as follows, so originally, companies are important channel for healthcare business in Japan.
Health check – each company is obligated to provide annual health check for its employees by company’s expense.
Stress check – each company is obligated to provide annual stress check for its employees by company’s expense.
Industrial physician – any company who has more than 50 employee has a duty to appoint industrial physician for its employees.
Then, what “company start to invest to its own employees healthcare” means? It means there are variety of potential opportunity related with exercise and nutrition for employees. Each company is interested in introducing unique strategy for its employees to be more attractive talented people.