Understanding and Addressing the Consumption Tax Issues Challenging Hospital Sustainability

Seminar Overview

On September 16, 2026, the Japan Planning Institute (JPI) will host an essential seminar titled "Understanding and Addressing the Consumption Tax Issues Challenging Hospital Sustainability." This event will feature prominent guest speaker Shinichi Ito, the President of the Japan Medical Corporation Association. With extensive experience in hospital management and healthcare policy, Mr. Ito is well-equipped to shed light on this pressing matter affecting medical institutions.

Focus of the Seminar

The session will dive deep into the complex structure of the burden imposed by non-deductible consumption tax, particularly how it exacerbates the sustainability challenges faced by hospitals. In recent years, the economic pressures of rising prices and wages have further intensified the risks to hospital viability, prompting the need for urgent discussions and solutions.

Key Insights to be Discussed

Participants can expect to gain valuable insights on the following key points:

- The structural burden of non-deductible consumption tax on hospital finances.
- The limitations of current reimbursement structures that fail to alleviate the financial gaps experienced by healthcare institutions.
- A risk assessment approach related to tax policy changes.

Through this seminar, attendees from various sectors—including hospital management, finance, healthcare investment, and policy-making—will gain a clearer understanding of the systemic issues at play and the need for a viable resolution.

Why This Matters

The consumption tax presents a significant challenge for hospitals, mainly due to the way the healthcare reimbursement system interacts with taxation. Efforts to adjust reimbursement rates in response to tax hikes have proven limited, particularly for large medical facilities with advanced capabilities.

In the past, the approach taken to manage consumption tax burdens involved attempts at reimbursements from social insurance systems. However, this has not yielded sustainable results. The crux of the issue lies in the need to address tax policies through direct tax reforms, which can only be achieved if the consumption tax applied to medical institutions is shifted from non-taxable to taxable status. This shift is considered the only effective solution.

Seminar Agenda

1. Origins of the consumption tax issues facing medical institutions
2. Evolution and challenges of the current reimbursement strategies
3. Structural limitations of the reimbursement framework
4. Perspectives on consumption tax from a public stance
5. Proposed solutions to the outlined issues
6. Conclusion and final thoughts
7. Q&A session
8. Networking opportunity for attendees

Participants will have a rare opportunity for direct interaction with Mr. Ito, including the chance to ask questions and network with fellow attendees from diverse backgrounds. This interaction can lead to practical insights and potential collaborations.

Attendance Options

- On-site attendance (recording not included)
- Live stream attendance (recording not included)
- Archive stream attendance

Attendees can opt to add the archive stream for a special rate of 18,500 yen (tax included) after registering for the on-site or live attendance options.

Registration Fee

- For one attendee: 37,960 yen (tax included)
- For two or more attendees from the same organization: 32,960 yen each (tax included)
- Special rate for local government employees: 11,000 yen each (limited to on-site and live participants from the same organization)

For more information and to register, please visit here.

Post-Seminar Engagement

After the seminar, participants will have opportunities to directly engage with the speaker for further questions and discussions. Networking among attendees can foster valuable connections, potentially leading to new business ventures.

JPI seminars continue to serve as a bridge between policy, academia, and industry, offering insights and fostering strategic dialogue tailored for upper management and decision-makers over the last fifty years.