December 6, 2025

A bill to revise the Medical Service Act, which forces through the reduction of the number of hospital beds, was enacted by a majority vote in the House of Councillors plenary session on December 5. The Japanese Communist Party, the “Reiwa Shinsengumi” party, and the “Okinawa Whirlwind” voted against the bill.

The revised law is highly likely to cut even the bare minimum of hospital beds necessary for local communities, making it difficult to open new hospitals or increase bed capacity.

The revised law provides subsidies to medical institutions which reduce the number of their sickbeds with the aim to reduce the government-set standard number of beds.

It includes measures to address disparities in the number of doctors between regions. However, these measures will not provide a fundamental solution as they leave the current absolute shortage of physicians unaddressed.