The latest issue of the annual UN Human Development Index (HDI) from the UN Development Program shows Japan in 10th place in the world. This places it 3 places above the US, but 8 spots below my home country of Australia (see the top 15 ranked countries below). The [...]

The Japanese government already has a system for compensating people that become ill as a result of side effects from mandatory vaccination programs, but according to an AP story today they are expected to extend this program for the new influenza vaccinations that are to begin this month.

Under the current [...]

Apparently there is a massive world-wide pandemic heading our way courtesy of the H1N1 ‘swine’ flu virus. So say WHO and a number of other organizations, including most notably the government and media. But you wouldn’t know it to look at the actions that are not taking place.

At times, the panic has reached ‘fever pitch’ [...]

Blaine Harden had an article in the Washington Post yesterday, which focuses on health care in Japan. It is an attempt to be balanced, but I feel that it relies a little too much on anecdotes, and misses some very significant points. The story finishes with a perplexed, ordinary Japanese woman [...]