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Establishment of Japan HPH Network− “Sailing” with 36 members onboard

The Japan HPH Network was established on October 17, 2015, by representatives of 36
HPH member organizations in Japan. A celebration took place after the inauguration
ceremony, and was attended by 120 researchers and representatives of medical organizations, all enjoying the exchange of ideas and hopes for the future HPH Secretariat.
Mitsuhiko Funakoshi1
About theNational HPH
Network ofJapanThe Japanese Network
consists of 36 HPH member
Hospitals and Health Services in Japan.
The Network was establishedon October 17, 2015.
1
Mitsuhiko Funakoshi is theNational Coordinator of theJapanese HPH Network.
He is also the assistant director at Chidoribashi General
Hospital, the first HPH member in Japan.

Contact:Dr. Mitsuhiko Funakoshifunakosi@wc4.so-net.ne.jp

A strong group of collaborators
ensured the HPH establishment

Upon the establishment of the Japanese
HPH Network, the representatives of national medical federations, presidents ofmedical societies, and renowned professors within the field joined as the network
founders. I would like to thank the eightfounding doctors and all the representatives from various medical organizations
for their attendance and their growing interest in the newly founded HPH network
in Japan.

Moreover, a greeting was delivered to theforum by Dr. Alex Ross, director of WHO
Kobe Centre, on behalf of the WorldHealth Organization. From the International HPH Network, a video message arrived from CEO Prof. Hanne Tonnesen.
In addition, we received a video message
from Dr. Dong-won Lee, coordinator ofthe Korean HPH Network, and a heartwarming message from Dr. Shu-Ti Chiou, CEO of Taiwan HPH Network.

The eight founders are:• Dr. Tsuneo Sakai, president of the Japan Hospital Association• Dr. Kimio Henmi, chairperson of theJapan Municipal Hospital Association• Dr. Izumi Maruyama, president of theJapan Primary Care Association• Dr. Norio Shimauchi, president of theJapanese Society of Health Promotion• Dr. Satoshi Izawa, director-superintendent of the Saku Central Hospital - Nagano Prefectural Federation of Agricultural
Cooperatives for Health and Welfare• Dr. Katsunori Kondo, professor of theCenter for Preventive Medical Science Chiba University• Dr. Takaaki Fujiwara, chairman of theJapanese Health and Welfare Cooperative Federation• Dr. Mamoru Fujisue, president of theJapan Federation of Democratic MedicalInstitutions.

Mitsuhiko Funakoshi, HPH Coordinator ofJapanThe history of HPH in Japan

Chidoribashi Hospital was the first Japanese hospital to join the InternationalHPH Network and became a member
in 2008. The initial encounter with theHPH network and Chidoribashi Hospital happened by a coincidence, when I
was searching for “Healthy City” on theEditorial Office, WHO-CC • Clinical Health Promotion Centre • Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright © Clinical Health Promotion - Research and Best Practice for patients, staff and community, 2015

December | 2015 | Page 93

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The 36 members are spread out in most regions of Japan and cover a strong group of hospitals and health facilities

internet. Reading the website of HPH, I felt growing
agreement with the activities of HPH network, because it matched the principles of Chidoribashi Hospital and our practice of health promotion activities.
So I decided to join the International HPH Network. It
was in 2010, I first attended the International Conference in Manchester. The theme of that conference was“Tackling Causes and Consequences of Inequalities inHealth: Contributions of Health Services and the HPHNetwork.” I was deeply impressed by the principle, andthe actual lectures were so outstanding that I wanted topromote HPH in Japan.

Health Promotion in Japan

Thinking that HPH is a materialization of redirecting
the roles of health services, an idea proposed by Ottawa
Charter, the kinds of activities suggested by HPH havebeen in practice at some Japanese hospitals already.
So, the idea itself is not completely new.

Therefore, I would like to introduce the readers tosome of the health promotion activities in practice atJapanese Hospitals. A renowned example in this fieldis Saku Central Hospital, which is also a member of theJapanese HPH Network. Founded in 1944 by a cooperation of farmers, Saku Central Hospital has operated
a health activity to protect the lives and environmentof community people, based on the spirit of “together with the farmers.” In many ways, the Saku Central
Hospital has been a first mover on matters that we consider to be common practice today. It has a history ofsending doctors to the community (since 1945), even
before the introduction of universal health insurance
coverage system, finding causes of diseases “in farmers’
everyday life” (now referred as Social Determinants ofHealth), and working on improvement of those in collaboration with community people and local government. It also initiated a public health control system
for all residents of a poor village called Yachiho Village
in collaboration with local government. In this effort,

Editorial Office, WHO-CC • Clinical Health Promotion Centre • Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright © Clinical Health Promotion - Research and Best Practice for patients, staff and community, 2015

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At the inagoration ceremony, all founders, invited speakers and selected participants were photographed.
Instructors of Health were appointed among the villagers and fostered as leaders of health promotion. This
achieved a leading example to include community people into a voluntary health promotion activity, and thisexperience of public health control was later adopted
as a national model for public health checkup systemin Japan.
Min-Iren (The Japanese Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions), which many members of theJapanese HPH network belong to, has a strong tradition of community-based health promotion activities.
The feature lies in the Min-Iren’s activity style, in which
Min-Iren hospitals work with members of Friend’s Association or medical cooperative who are also community residents. An example on this is the Health Co-operative SAITAMA, which the Saitama Kyodo Hospitalbelongs to. The Saitama Co-operative has 240,000
members and facilitates a variety of health promotion
activities in local communities. The activities include
community-based classes on health and childcare, aswell as visits by hospital staffs at schools giving education on sex and protection. Health Co-operative
SAITAMA also works with labor unions to provide afree consultation for the people in need on health andlabor related problems.

Future challenges for health promotion inJapan
The average life expectancy of the Japanese populationis one of the highest in the world. However, the high life
expectancy creates specific challenges for Japan suchas a super-aging society and enlarging economic disparity. The community is faced with an increased needfor support of the increasing number of aged people
and especially those living alone. This socially fragile
settings and the need of support of those people living
alone are becoming a serious challenge for the healthservices. The national health insurance system, which
once was world famous, is also starting to show deterioration. What we see is that quite a number of people
detain from going to the hospital regardless of serious
health problems due to economic difficulties. The needfor offering health promotion activities is obvious forthe elderly population, and the support and focus onhealth promotion by the hospitals and health services
will contribute to the health and well-being of the community. Taking advantage of the experiences of healthpromotion activity acquired by member hospitals, theJapanese HPH Network will enhance the exchanges
of information among national members, the international network and the local communities, and by doing this contribute in finding solutions for the Japanese
population.

Editorial Office, WHO-CC • Clinical Health Promotion Centre • Bispebjerg & Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Copyright © Clinical Health Promotion - Research and Best Practice for patients, staff and community, 2015