Medical Content Policy
Medical information can influence decisions about health, treatment, travel, and significant expense. Japan Medical aims to publish content that is understandable, evidence-aware, appropriately qualified, and clear about uncertainty.
Sources We Prefer
Primary and authoritative sources come first
Japanese public authorities
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, and other relevant Japanese public bodies.
Clinical registries
Japan Registry of Clinical Trials and other appropriate trial or study registries when they are relevant to a claim.
Peer-reviewed literature
Original clinical studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and peer-reviewed medical journals.
Clinical guidance
Clinical guidelines and consensus statements from appropriate professional or public health bodies.
Provider documentation
Official information from a medical institution may be used for institution-specific facts such as services, schedules, or administrative requirements.
Commercial materials
Marketing materials are not treated as equivalent to independent clinical evidence.
How We Describe Evidence
Study design changes what a result can support
Laboratory and animal findings should be identified as preclinical and should not be presented as demonstrated clinical benefit in humans.
Case reports and observational studies may identify patterns or possible signals but can be affected by confounding and selection bias.
Clinical trials should be described with relevant context such as sample size, comparison group, endpoints, follow-up, and major limitations.
Systematic reviews and guidelines may provide broader evidence context but should still be represented within their stated scope.
Results from a study population cannot guarantee the same outcome for an individual patient.
Regenerative Medicine
Three concepts must stay separate
Regulatory pathway
A treatment may be handled under a Japanese legal or regulatory framework without that fact itself establishing PMDA marketing approval of a product.
Clinical research
Registration or publication of a study or plan does not by itself prove clinical effectiveness for a particular indication.
Product approval
PMDA separately publishes information concerning regenerative medical products that have received approval in Japan.
Benefits, Risks and Uncertainty
Do not present possibility as certainty
How We Handle Cost Information
Prices are usually reference information
Provider estimates
Costs may come from provider information and should be identified as estimates or reference figures unless a final charge has been formally confirmed.
Variables
Final medical cost can vary with the institution, patient condition, testing, treatment protocol, medication, hospitalization, follow-up, and other clinical needs.
Currency and timing
Exchange rates and provider pricing can change, so readers should confirm current written costs before making a financial decision.
Editorial Independence and Disclosure
Commercial relationships should not rewrite the evidence
Commercial or coordination relationships should not determine whether scientific evidence is described as positive, negative, uncertain, or limited.
Where Japan Medical has a material financial or commercial relationship with an institution discussed on the website and that relationship could reasonably affect a reader’s understanding, our policy is to disclose it appropriately.
Review, Updates and Corrections
Medical content needs ongoing review
New evidence
Important content may be updated when substantial new clinical evidence becomes available.
Regulatory change
Material changes to regulatory status or official safety information should trigger review.
Availability change
Provider availability, treatment protocols, pricing, or administrative requirements may need revision when they materially change.
Corrections
When a material factual error is identified, we aim to review and correct it as soon as reasonably practicable.
Review dates
Important medical pages should display a publication date, review date, or last-updated date so readers can judge recency.
Official Reference Framework
Useful sources for verification
PMDA: Approved Product Information
Japan Registry of Clinical Trials
Readers should still discuss important individual medical decisions with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Contact Japan Medical
Found a possible content error?
Contact Japan Medical with the page title and the statement you believe should be reviewed. We will assess material factual issues against appropriate sources.
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