Medical services in Japan are public. This health system ensures free access to medical facilities for all Japanese citizens under universal insurance coverage and, as a result, the life expectancy of the Japanese population has become the world's longest (mean, 81.8 years). The cost of medical services now accounts for 7.7% of the gross domestic product of Japan, and is the second lowest in the developed world, after the UK. In 2000, the World Health Organization ranked Japan's medical services as the most efficient in the world.
- Yoshio Yazaki
- Takashi Kadowaki
