How we check English support

Every place on this site comes from Japan’s official register of medical facilities. Whether a place can help you in English is a separate question, and we only answer it when we have evidence you can see for yourself.

The three levels

• ●●● Consultation in English — the doctor or dentist sees patients in English. We need the clinic to confirm it, a clear statement on the clinic’s own website, or at least two confirmed visitor reports within 18 months.
• ●●○ English-speaking staff — some staff or the reception speak English. We need a statement on the clinic’s website, or an entry naming English in the government’s list of medical institutions that accept foreign patients.
• ●○○ English materials — there is an English website or English forms, but nothing says that anyone speaks English.

Everything else is shown as “English support: not yet checked”. That does not mean nobody there speaks English — only that we have no evidence either way.

Our rules

• Every level shown links to its source, with the exact words and the date we checked.
• Software helps us read clinic websites, but nothing it finds is published until a person has approved it.
• Evidence expires after 18 months. The level then goes back to “not yet checked” until we look again.
• If two visitors within six months tell us English did not work, the level drops by one step and we review the place.

Please always confirm with the place before you go. If something here is wrong, use the report buttons on the clinic’s page, or suggest a clinic we are missing.