Public prices checked in August 2026 show examples of ¥33,000, ¥88,000 and ¥100,000 per year, while one provider lists ¥150,000 for 1 year. Some programs start charging from year 2. There is no single nationwide storage price in Japan.
Current Published Storage Prices
| Provider | Storage Fee | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Kioicho Plaza Clinic | ¥33,000 per year | From year 2; tax included |
| Regeneration Clinic | ¥88,000 per year | From year 2; tax included |
| Shonan regenerative medicine program | ¥100,000 per year before tax | First year after collection included; separate cell-bank contract from year 2 |
| Medical Corporation Ei | ¥150,000 for 1 year | Also lists ¥300,000 for 3 years and ¥500,000 for 5 years |
¥33,000–¥150,000 is not an official Japanese price range. It only reflects the public prices shown by the providers above. When comparing plans, use the clinic’s current written quote rather than treating these figures as a national average.
Five-Year Storage Cost
| Storage Plan | Paid Storage Through Year 5 |
|---|---|
| ¥33,000 per year from year 2 | ¥132,000 for four renewals |
| ¥88,000 per year from year 2 | ¥352,000 for four renewals |
| ¥100,000 per year from year 2 | ¥400,000 before tax for four renewals |
| Published five-year package | ¥500,000 |
These totals are for storage. Thawing, cell culture, laboratory testing, medical consultation and another treatment may still be billed separately.
Storage Start Date
- Get the exact date storage begins.
- Get the exact date the first paid renewal is due.
- Do not assume “first year included” means one year after your final treatment.
- Confirm whether the first year starts from tissue collection, cell freezing or another date.
Shonan states that its included first year is counted after cell collection, with a separate cell-bank contract applying from year 2.
What Is Actually Stored
- What material is frozen?
- How many cells, vials or batches are stored?
- Are the cells reserved for your possible future treatment?
- Are they already prepared for treatment?
- Will they need additional culture after thawing?
- What tests are required before they can be used?
The number of vials alone does not tell you how many future treatments are available. Ten vials do not automatically mean ten treatments. The usable amount depends on cell quantity, how the cells were processed, recovery after thawing, further culture and the dose required by the treatment protocol.
Cost of Using the Cells Again
The storage bill and the future treatment bill should be treated separately. Get a price for each item below.
| Future Cost | Ask Whether It Is Included |
|---|---|
| Cell release from storage | Included or separate fee |
| Thawing | Included or separate fee |
| Additional cell culture | Current price if required |
| Blood collection | Required or not required |
| Laboratory testing | Included or separate fee |
| Post-thaw quality checks | Included or separate fee |
| Final cell preparation | Included or separate fee |
| Medical consultation | Current consultation fee |
| Repeat injection or infusion | Current treatment fee |
Shonan states that blood collection is required when cells are cultured for its adipose-derived stem cell infusion program. Storage alone therefore should not be treated as the full cost of a future treatment.
What Happens After Thawing
- What test is performed after thawing?
- What result must the cells meet before use?
- How much cell loss is acceptable?
- Can the cells be cultured again if the recovered amount is too low?
- What happens if the cells fail the clinic’s release requirements?
- Will another tissue collection be required?
- Who pays if the stored cells cannot be used?
A systematic review of cryopreserved mesenchymal stromal cells found that several cell characteristics were generally preserved, but results such as viability varied between studies and freezing methods.
A 2023 study of cryopreserved human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells also found that thawing and post-thaw handling can affect cell recovery and viability.
Who Holds the Cells
- Get the legal name of the company or medical institution physically storing the cells.
- Confirm whether your contract is with the clinic or a separate cell bank.
- Confirm who receives the annual storage payment.
- Confirm who holds your processing and storage records.
- Confirm who can authorize release of the cells.
The treating clinic and the storage provider may be different organizations. Shonan, for example, states that long-term storage involves a separate cell-bank contract from year 2.
Storage Facility Details
- Where are the cells stored?
- How are samples identified?
- How are storage conditions monitored?
- Is there an alarm or backup system?
- What happens if storage equipment fails?
- How long are storage and processing records kept?
- What procedure is used when cells are transported?
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare guidance on cell storage covers areas including storage conditions, identification, monitoring, records, staff responsibilities, emergency procedures and transportation.
Cancellation Terms
| Contract Term | What to Confirm |
|---|---|
| Renewal date | Exact payment deadline |
| Grace period | How long payment can be late |
| Price increase | Whether the annual fee can change |
| Cancellation | How much notice is required |
| Refund | Whether unused prepaid years are refundable |
| Non-payment | When storage can be stopped |
| Disposal | When and how stored material may be destroyed |
A five-year plan may look cheaper when converted into an average annual cost, but the real value depends on the refund terms. If unused years are non-refundable, ending storage early can change the calculation.
If the Clinic Closes
- Who continues holding the cells if the treatment clinic closes?
- Who keeps the medical, processing and storage records?
- What happens if the storage company closes?
- How will patients be contacted?
- Can the cells be transferred?
- What happens to prepaid storage fees?
These points should appear in the written contract. A verbal assurance from clinic staff is not enough for a storage agreement that may continue for several years.
Transferring Cells to Another Clinic
If transfer may be needed later, make sure the provider can supply the records another medical institution is likely to request.
- patient and sample identification;
- tissue collection records;
- cell-processing records;
- culture history;
- laboratory test results;
- storage records;
- chain-of-custody records;
- transport conditions.
Transfer does not guarantee acceptance. Another clinic may refuse to use cells collected, processed or stored under a different system.
Regulatory Status in Japan
A regenerative medicine provision plan and PMDA approval of a regenerative medical product are not the same thing.
| Question | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Clinical provision | Under what Japanese framework is the clinic providing the treatment? |
| Provision plan | Is the applicable regenerative medicine provision plan publicly listed? |
| Product approval | Is a named regenerative medical product approved under the PMD Act? |
| Payment | Is the treatment self-pay or covered under another payment route? |
Official references: MHLW regenerative medicine information, PMDA regenerative medical product framework, and PMDA approved-product information.
Claims That Need Extra Caution
| Claim | Problem |
|---|---|
| “Your cells will remain usable forever.” | Long storage does not guarantee future biological or medical suitability. |
| “Registered in Japan means PMDA approved.” | A provision plan and PMDA product approval are different regulatory routes. |
| “These cells can treat almost any future disease.” | Future use depends on the disease, cell type, processing method, evidence and regulatory status. |
| “You can send the cells to any clinic later.” | Another clinic can refuse to accept or use them. |
| “The storage price includes everything.” | Thawing, culture, testing, consultation and repeat treatment may be separate charges. |
The International Society for Stem Cell Research recommends checking evidence, risks, regulatory status, alternatives and realistic treatment outcomes rather than relying on broad promotional claims.
Before You Pay
- Get the exact annual or multi-year storage price.
- Confirm whether tax is included.
- Get the storage start date and first renewal date.
- Get a written description of exactly what is stored.
- Get the stored quantity in cells, vials, batches or another measurable unit.
- Confirm whether further culture is required before reuse.
- Get the current cost of thawing, testing and cell preparation.
- Get the current cost of another injection or infusion.
- Confirm what happens if the cells cannot be used after thawing.
- Identify the organization physically holding the cells.
- Check cancellation, refund and disposal terms.
- Check what happens if the clinic or storage provider closes.
- Check whether the cells and complete records can be transferred.
- Check the treatment’s Japanese regulatory route separately from PMDA product approval.
Finally
Current public examples include ¥33,000, ¥88,000 and ¥100,000 per year, plus a ¥150,000 one-year plan. A ¥100,000 fee starting in year 2 means ¥400,000 before tax for years 2–5, before any thawing, culture, testing or repeat treatment. The figures that matter are the storage start date, what and how much is stored, who holds the cells, the cost of using them again, and the rules covering unusable cells, cancellation, transfer and clinic closure.