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The accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant occurred following the huge tsunami and earthquake of 11 March 2011. After the accident, there was considerable uncertainty and concern about the health effects of radiation. In this difficult situation, emergency responses, including large-scale evacuation, were implemented. The Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) was initiated 3 months after the accident. The primary purposes of FHMS were to monitor the long-term health of residents, promote their well-being, and monitor any health effects related to long-term, low-dose radiation exposure. Despite the severity of the Fukushima accident and the huge impact of the natural disaster, radiation exposure of the public was very low. However, there were other serious health problems, including deaths during evacuation, increased mortality among displaced elderly people, mental health and lifestyle-related health problems, and social issues after the accident. The Nuclear Emergency Situations - Improvement of Medical and Health Surveillance (SHAMISEN) project, funded by the Open Project For European Radiation Research Area, aimed to develop recommendations for medical and health surveillance of populations affected by previous and future radiation accidents. This paper briefly introduces the points that have been learned from the Fukushima accident from the perspective of SHAMISEN recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between September 2011 and August 2015, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) organised a series of 12 stakeholder dialogue workshops with residents of Fukushima Prefecture. Discussions focused on recovery, addressing topics such as protection of children, management of contaminated food, monitoring, and self-help measures. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) supported, and the Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) Secretariat attended, all 12 meetings to listen directly to the concerns of affected individuals and draw lessons for CRPPH. To summarise the dialogue results, ICRP organised a final meeting in Date, Japan with the support of NEA and other organisations. The lessons from and utility of the dialogue meetings were praised by dialogue participants and sponsors, and ICRP agreed that some form of dialogue would continue, although with ICRP participation and support rather than leadership. This paper summarises the internationally relevant lessons learned by CRPPH from this important process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how multiple roles affect the mental health of the elderly in Japan and the United States, two countries with vastly different cultures. Hypotheses were drawn based on the cultural differences in role experiences, and these hypotheses are tested by analyzing nationally representative samples of the elderly in these countries. The results show that Americans are more likely to be involved in roles related to family, work, and community, while the Japanese are more likely to be involved in only those roles related to family and work. Multiple roles are also found to be less beneficialfor the mental health of Japanese elderly compared to American counterparts. National differences in the effects of individual roles and role configurations on mental health are also documented. Overall, the results show the importance of broad cultural contexts for understanding the relationship between roles and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To examine the relationship between health risks and medical care expenditures in an employer setting in Japan. Design. A cross-sectional, correlational study. Setting. A large Japanese corporation. Subjects. A total of 6543 employees of a large Japanese electronics company, for whom medical expenditures, lifestyle risks and biometric data were available, were included in the analysis. Seventy-six percent were male, and subjects were primarily white-collar workers. Measures. Medical expenditure data were available [or fiscal year 2000, including inpatient, outpatient, and total expenditures, measured in Japanese yen. Binary expenditure indicators for those having no claims and those having high claims (90th percentile) were also created. Risk measures included biometric assessment of high blood Pressure and high body mass index (BMT, body weight and height) and self-reported stress, tack of exercise, excess alcohol consumption, poor nutrition, current smoking, and recent quitting. High cholesterol and high blood glucose measures were also available for some subjects from company physicals. Results. Average total expenditures were ¥48, 017 (US$445). The 90th percentile of the expenditure distribution was approximately ¥111,750 (US$1037). The most commonly reported risk factors were lack of exercise (52.9%), current smoking (35%), stress (33%), and poor nutritional habits (23.6%). Least common were recently quitting smoking (2%), high blood Pressure (4.1%), and high blood glucose (9.4%). The prevalence of overweight or obesity was 15.9 %. High blood Pressure and recent quitting were consistently related to high expenditures, after adjusting for the influence of other Predictors. Adjusted expenditures were 76% higher for recent quitters and 22.6% higher for employees with high blood Pressure. Males and younger employees had consistently lower expenditures. Current smoking poor nutrition, and alcohol risk were also associated with lower expenditures. Those with multiple cardiovascular risk factors had adjusted medical expenditures that were 128 % higher than those with no cardiovascular risks. Those who had multiple risk factors for stroke had expenditures that were 13% lower than those without stroke risk factors. Conclusions. This paper represents a first step in examining the association between health risks and medical expenditures in Japanese employees. The investigation uncovered some significant levels of risk for lack of exercise, smoking and stress. Although results indicate some significant associations between health risks and medical expenditures, several unexpected associations were noted that require further study. Such information Provides a solid foundation for health promotion efforts in Japan and direction for subsequent investigations of health risks and medical expenditures. Future studies should address important issues of health risk measurement, data collection, and research design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]