Japan's MHLW

In 1938, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare was founded.  Its primary responsibility is to regulate social welfare, working conditions, social security and public health of the Japanese public.  It also supervises all health projects in Japan, including food, drugs, medical devices and health insurance.   The MHLW has executed duties comparable to those of the American FDA and has put into practice most of Japan’s medical policies.   Recently, MHLW realized the need to drastically reform Japan’s medical care insurance system to control the growth of increasing medical expenditure while allocating the public with excellent medical care services without worries.