Toward a third term of Health Japan 21 – implications from the rise in non-communicable disease burden and highly preventable risk factors

Abstract

In 2000, the Japanese government launched the National Health Promotion Movement known as Health Japan 21 (HJ21), a 13-year national health promotion policy (2000−2012) aimed at preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their underlying risk factors. After the revision in 2013 (2013−2023), the target NCDs and risk factors are being reviewed and a new strategy for the third term of HJ21 is going to be discussed. Using the latest findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019, this paper highlights NCDs that continue to increase health losses and preventable metabolic and behavioural risk factors. These NCDs and risk factors are associated with an increased risk of serious illness and death from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The third term of HJ21 will be formulated during the continuing threat of acute health crises like the current COVID-19 pandemic and thus offers an important opportunity to renew public health efforts to halt the growing burden of NCDs in Japan. This article may serve as one of the roadmaps for the formulation of the third term of HJ21.

Using implementation mapping to develop strategies for preventing non-communicable diseases in Japanese small- and medium-sized enterprises

“…First, we selected behavioral change techniques from the taxonomy of behavioral change methods ( 30 ) (e.g., modeling and setting of graded tasks [social cognitive theory], framing [protection motivation theory], self-re-evaluation, and environmental re-evaluation [transtheoretical model]). These behavioral change techniques were selected according to the following three criteria: ( 1 ) the interventionists could use convincing language to encourage the adoption and implementation of the program, ( 2 ) the methods could be used even by non-expert health professionals, and ( 3 ) they considered the real-life work environment and Japanese culture. We decided on these criteria through discussions with the public health nurses.…”

“…Tobacco use, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol, and an unhealthy diet increase the risk of dying from NCDs ( 1 ). In Japan, four of the top five leading causes of mortality in 2019 are NCDs (i.e., Alzheimer's disease, stroke, ischemic heart disease, and lung cancer), and NCDs account for more than 80% of all health losses measured using the disability-adjusted life years ( 2 , 3 ). The World Health Organization has identified workplaces as valuable access points for providing interventions targeting NCD prevention ( 4 ).…”

Effect of employers' concerns about cancer countermeasures on the implementation of cancer screening and support for balancing cancer treatment and work in small and medium-sized Japanese enterprises

“…32 Japanese government advocated health promotion in Health Japan 21. 33 A recent report noted that continuous support for SMEs' employers improved leadership and promoted workplace health implementation. 34 The Corporate Action to Promote Cancer Control, an MHLW‐commissioned project, involves numerous SMEs and provides cancer education in the workplace, including some seminars and E‐learnings (in the Japanese and English versions).…”

“…Health promotion, defined as “the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health”, is an important way to enhance employers' concerns 32 . Japanese government advocated health promotion in Health Japan 21 33 . A recent report noted that continuous support for SMEs' employers improved leadership and promoted workplace health implementation 34 .…”

The Utility of Automated ASPECTS in Acute Ischemic Stroke for Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (IV-rtPA) Therapy

“…Stroke is not only the second leading cause of mortality but also the third leading cause of long-term care in the world [ 1 , 2 ]. To improve the outcomes of patients with cerebral infarction, it is important to determine suitability for intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) therapy and for endovascular therapy in the acute phase, because these therapies have been proved to be effective in patients with acute ischemic stroke [ 3 ].…”