JNA News Release2019 August Vol.29

JNAJNANews
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ReleaseJNAJapaneseNews ReleaseVol.29Nursing Association
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http://www.nurse.or.jp/jna/english/

The Annual General Convention for Fiscal Year 2019（first year of the Reiwa era）
The Japanese Nursing Association (JNA) held its Annual General Convention for fiscal year 2019 on June 6.
The Convention was attended by a total of 2,709 delegates, members, guests and officers.

Opening of the covention, Dr. Toshiko Fukui；JNA President, stated that JNA has been working on the“Nursing Now” Campaign. She said that the purpose of the campaign is “to improve various conditions andenvironments to utilize nurses’ full potential to contribute to people’s health,” and requested participants’support and cooperation.
She also talked about current situation of governmental and social activities that the acceleration of the social
security system reform where a wide range of topics has been discussed in the field of healthcare andlong-term care. Taking social and policy trends into consideration, JNA will continue to steadily promote four
Priority Policies under her leadership in FY2019: “Promotion of reform of the basic nursing education system”,“Establishment of a system for nursing service provision in the community-based integrated care”, “Promotionof work style reform for nurses”, and “Promotion of the role expansion of nurses and development of humanresources for nursing”. There was a regular election of the Executive Board members and the new Executive
Board was established. Dr. Rieko Kawamoto, Executive Officer in charge of international affairs, finished herterms of office and Dr. Akiko Araki was newly took the position.

List of new Executive Board members
President

Toshiko Fukui

Vice Presidents

Kumiko Ii
Noriko Saito
Tomoya Akiyama

Executive Director

Hamako Katsumata

Executive Officers

Kumiko Yoshikawa
Masami Kumagai
Akiko Araki
Kumiko Kamata
Hiroko lmoto★Saori Okajima★：New member
JNA President Dr. Toshiko Fukui in the center, at theAnnual General Convention for fiscal year 20191|https://www.nurse.or.jp/jna/english/about/board.html

JNA News Release2019 August Vol.29

Setting up the “Nursing Now Campaign in Japan”
JNA started working on this campaign inIn Japan, the Government promotes the reform

February 2019, upholding the theme of “Creatingof social security system in response to change

Healthy Society through the Power of Nursing.”

in demographic and disease structures due toIn promoting this campaign, JNA has formed asociety of super aging and fewer children. The

local group in cooperation with the Japanese

healthcare delivery system in Japan is greatly

Nursing Federation, a political organization

changing. The purpose of Nursing Now, which

promoting the policies of JNA.

improves

conditionsandenvironments

fornurses to respond to changes and maximizing
To expand the campaign nationwide, JNA in

the potential of nurses to perform well, iscooperation with the Ministry of Health, Labourconsistent with the situation in which Japaneseand Welfare (MHLW) launched “Nursing Now

nurses are placed. Each group will perform its

Campaign in Japan” on May 11. Thirty nursing

activities aiming to become an agent to createorganisations have joined the campaign aschangecommittee members, as well as 13 supporting

Committee and each group will be reported at aorganisations

later date.

includinghealthprofessionalorganisations, hospital representatives, labour
union and patient organisations. The MHLWinnursing.

The

activities

of

the

https://www.nurse.or.jp/jna/english/activities/projects/index.html#Nursing Now Campaign

serves as an observer. The Nursing Now
Campaign in Japan will continue its activities
until the end of December 2020.

Results of the “2018 Survey on the Actual Situation of Hospital Nursing”
JNA conducts the “Survey on the Actual Situation of Hospital Nursing” once a year to grasp the situationsof supply/demand and retention of nurses at hospitals, and obtain basic data to review JNA activities andpolicy proposals. The following three results are based on the survey conducted in 2018:<Survey overview>
1) Targets:

8,361 hospitals across the country(nursing directors were requested to reply)2) Survey period:

October 1-15, 20183) Survey method:

Self-completed questionnaires sent and collected by mail4) Responses status: Valid responses: 3,634 (Valid response rate: 43.5%)* Valid response rate for the survey conducted last year: 49.2%

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1. Turnover rate of nurses
The turnover rate of full-time nurses in 2017 was 10.9%, the same as the previous year, and that of
newly graduated nurses was 7.5%, a decrease of 0.1 point from the previous year. The turnover rate
has remained flat over the past 5 years (Figure 1). A breakdown by prefecture shows a high turnoverrate in large urban areas. This is also the same trend as in previous years.

Figure 1. Changes in the turnover rate of hospital nurses (over the past 5 years)
12.0%
11.0%11.0%

10.8%

7.5%

7.5%

FY2013

FY2014

10.9%

10.9%

7.8%

7.6%

7.5%

FY2015FY2016FY2017

10.9%

10.0%
Full-time

9.0%

New graduate

8.0%
7.0%
6.0%

2. Nurses’ salary, etc.
The expected starting salary for newly graduated nurses in 2018 (basic salary, total salary before tax)
remains almost unchanged from previous years (Figure 2).
Figure 2．Expected starting salary for newly graduated nurses(JPY)
300,000

Average total salary before tax
262,964 262,013 263,131

266,041 263,551

eg. 100,000 JPY = about 269USD （2019.7.22）
Average total salary before tax

271,347 269,788 271,694 273,854

271,381250,000
200,000
150,000

Average basic salary

100,000 196,813

198,777 198,668 200,114 199,894 204,281 205,859 205,686 207,013 206,608

Average basic salary

50,0000FY2011 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018 FY2011 FY2015 FY2016 FY2017 FY2018
High school graduate + 3-year course

University graduate(Note 1) The total salary before tax includes commuting allowances, housing allowances, familyallowances, night shift allowances, night duty allowances, etc. (excluding overtime allowances).
(Note 2) In case of night shift, it is considered as 8 nights per month with a 3-shift system (4 nights with a2-shift system).

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JNA News Release2019 August Vol.29

On the other hand, concerning the salary of mid-career nurses with 10 years experiences and who
are not in managerial positions, the basic salary remains unchanged from the previous years;
however, the total salary before tax, including various allowances (excluding overtime allowances),
has increased slightly (Figure 3).
Figure 3．Monthly salary for nurses aged 31 to 32, with 10 years of service,
and who are not in managerial positions（JPY）

400,000
Average total salary before tax
319,590319,256

319,685

320,457

322,111300,000

200,000

Average basic salary
244,718

245,426

244,024

243,736

244,446

FY2011FY2015FY2016FY2017FY2018100,000

03.

Status of the approach to home-visit nursing
In Japan, the establishment of a community-based integrated care system is being promoted in order
to cope with issues of the aging society with fewer children so that people can live their lives until theend in the community they are accustomed to. The needs for home-visit nursing, which is essential
when people with diseases live in the community, are expected to grow. JNA grasped the current
situation and future direction of the home-visit nursing provided by hospital as it is important thathospitals exert home-visit nursing function in the community and support visiting nursing station in thecommunity.

1) Status of the establishment or installation of a visiting station or home-visit nursing
department

The percentage of hospitals with a visiting nursing station was 18.9% (686 hospitals). The
percentage of hospitals having a visiting nursing station in the same or an affiliated corporation but
not in the hospital was 19.9% (724 hospitals), the percentage of hospitals with a home-visit nursing
department was 13.5% (491 hospitals), and the percentage of hospitals with some kind of home-visit
nursing function was 52.3% (1,901 hospitals) (Figure 4).

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JNA News Release2019 August Vol.29

Figure 4．Status of establishment or installation of visiting nursing station
or a home-visit nursing department by number of hospital beds

2) Status of the establishment or installation of visiting nursing station or home-visit
nursing department by number of hospital beds and region
Hospitals with “200 to 299 beds” made up the highest percentage of having some kind of home-visit
nursing function (Figure 4), and more than half of them were located “outside the urban area.”

3) Future plan for installation of a visiting nursing station
Slightly more than 10% of these hospitals that they have not established or installed a visiting
nursing station or home-visit nursing department (1,615 hospitals, 44.4% of the total), were planningor considering to install a visiting nursing station in the future.

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News Topics
Enforcement of the Work Style Reform-related Act
The “Work Style Reform-related Act” was enacted in June 2018 and the “Act on the Arrangement ofRelated Acts to Promote Work Style Reform” was enforced in April 2019.
The “work style reform” is the reform that allows workers to “choose” diverse and flexible work styles
depending on their individual circumstances. By realizing the society with such work styles, creating avirtuous cycle of growth and distribution, it aims to ensure a better future prospect for an individualworker.
Japan is facing issues of “a decrease in the working-age population due to an aging society with fewer
children” and “diversification of the needs of workers.” In order to comprehensively promote “work stylereform”, the government will take measures, such as rectification of the practice of long working hours,
realization of diverse and flexible work styles, and ensuring fair treatment of workers irrespective of
their employment type. The main items are: (1) introduction of upper limit regulations for overtime workwith penalties, (2) 5 days of mandatory annual paid leave, and (3) introduction of a work-interval
system (obligation to make efforts). These measures will apply, regardless of the size of the work place
including where the nurses belong, not only to hospitals, but also to visiting nursing stations, long-termcare facilities, and any other workplaces.

JNA has been focusing on improving the working conditions and work environment for nurses, and has
set the goals of work style reforms for nurses as follows:“Creating a mechanism that enables nurses to continue working. The mechanism is feasible andsustainable. Promoting to create the environment in which nurses are able to continue working
peacefully throughout their life.”
In the 2019 priority policies and projects, JNA is upholding the theme of “the promotion of work stylereform for nurses and the development of working style models for nurses.” JNA will continue working
to create workplaces where nurses can work peacefully in healthy work place.
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. work style reform ～towards a society participated by all citizens～.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000335765.pdf （in Japanese）(accessed on June 12th,2019）6|