Japan Eyes Drastic Cut in Medical School Enrollment

Tokyo, April 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Finance Ministry on Thursday proposed a drastic reduction in medical school enrollment, considering an expected surplus of doctors due to the country’s declining population. At a meeting of the Fiscal System Council, an advisory panel to the finance minister, the ministry pointed out that the supply-demand balance for doctors will reach equilibrium around 2029 to 2032 and will almost certainly incline toward oversupply afterwards. In recent years, the overall enrollment capacity of medical schools in Japan has fluctuated around 9,000 people. According to the ministry, the number of doctors per 100,000 people is estimated to increase from 274 in 2022 to 340 in 2040 if the overall enrollment capacity remains unchanged. Meanwhile, the demand for doctors will likely fall due to the shrinking population and improving efficiency of health care services. An oversupply of doctors seems inevitable as the supply of doctors is unlikely to decrease significantly before fiscal 2032, when those who enrolled in medical schools this April will become doctors at the earliest. During the day’s meeting, a member of the council said that reducing medical school enrollment quotas is “an urgent issue from the viewpoint of the optimal allocation of scarce human resources in society,” adding that such a move will be key to optimizing medical costs. The council also discussed efforts to strengthen defense capabilities, in the run-up to a planned revision of the country’s three key security-related documents later this year. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]