Healthcare Access

For English-speaking doctors in Nagasaki, try the following resources:

1. AMDA International Medical Information Center: Helps find medical providers in Japan who can speak English (or several other languages if needed) and offers free medical telephone interpretation.

( https://www.amdamedicalcenter.com/activities )

2. Japan Healthcare Info: For help finding English-speaking doctors, try using Japan Healthcare Info. If you tell them specifics in an email, they will try to find a doctor in whatever price range, area of expertise, etc. that you need. They can even make an appointment for you (for about 1100 yen). This is a great and (mostly) free resource to find healthcare of all kinds. Just be aware that there might not be any English-speaking doctors who meet your criteria in your area, so you may have to compromise on something like prices/rates or travel out of your area.

( http://japanhealthinfo.com/ or contact@japanhealthinfo.com )

3. Japan National Tourism Organization: Consult this page for a complete guide on what to do and where to go if you are sick. Don’t be fooled by the name, you don’t need to be a tourist to use their resources.

( https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/mi_guide.html )

4. Byonin Navi: On this website, you can find an exhaustive repertoire of hospitals and clinics from all across Japan. Unfortunately, the website is entirely in Japanese, but thankfully the Google Translate browser add-on works extremely well on this site. You can select the location and specialty from the translated scroll-down menus. Just make sure to select “English support” ( 英語対応 ) before hitting the search button and you’re good to go.
*** Please note that if you choose to put in a keyword to narrow your research, you will have to type it in Japanese as it is the only thing that the Google Translate add-on won’t change automatically.***

( https://byoinnavi.jp/ ) 

5.Gender-Affirming Care: Most gender affirming care requires a diagnosis of gender incongruence (Japan uses the term Gender Identity Disorder or GID). Depending on the clinic, they may require psychiatric testing to provide a diagnosis. Services are limited in Nagasaki Prefecture, however there a Tokyo-based clinic that offers virtual care, as well as access to care in nearby Fukuoka city.

TG Ebisu Clinic is a Tokyo-based clinic that offers virtual care. The clinic is dedicated to providing affirming medical care to trans- and gender-nonconforming people. Their primary physician speaks English and they are welcoming to foreign and English-only clients; they are widely used among trans- and GNC ALTs across Japan, especially in rural areas. The entire process can be done virtually via video, including the initial appointment, and for clients seeking hormone therapy, they mail medications for self-injection directly to the client’s address. For those who are doing self-injections for the first time, they can do a video call appointment to walk you through the process, or you can visit their brick-and-mortar clinic in Tokyo. They do not accept insurance, so treatment is fully out of pocket. You can check their website for treatment fees.

( https://ebisutgclinic.com/english )

For Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and reassignment surgeries there is Nagumo Clinic in Fukuoka, you can click on the link below. In order to receive HRT treatment they may first require you to undergo a psychological evaluation at their clinic. While you may be able to use insurance for some of the appointment fees, but surgeries and hormone therapy are generally on an out-of-pocket basis. The clinic may be able to work with English-only clients.

( https://www.nagumo.or.jp/fukuoka )

If you have any questions regarding gender and medical or legal transition in Japan, please feel free to reach out to the ALT PA Kurt-Albrecht.