Health Ministry Seeks Public Comment on Revising Designated Intractable Disease List and Severity Criteria
Japan's health ministry has opened a public comment period on proposed revisions to the list of designated intractable diseases and related severity criteria used for medical subsidy eligibility.
AI-written summary of Japanese reports; not human-reviewed; check the linked sources. How we write articles
Key Points
- • Health ministry proposes revising the designated intractable disease list and severity criteria for subsidy eligibility
- • Public comment period runs from September 28 to October 29, 2026
- • Proposal also covers amendments to diagnostic and severity classification standards
- • This is a draft under review, not yet a finalized policy change
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Health and Sanitary Living Affairs Bureau, through its Division for Measures against Intractable Diseases, has published a draft proposal to revise the designated intractable diseases specified under Article 5, Paragraph 1 of the Act on Medical Care for Patients with Intractable Diseases, as well as the severity criteria set under Article 7, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the same law [1]. The proposal also includes partial amendments to the notice concerning diagnostic criteria and severity classifications for designated intractable diseases [1].
According to the ministry's e-Gov public comment listing, the draft was announced on September 28, 2026, and the ministry is accepting public comments through October 29, 2026, at 23:59 [1]. The case is filed under category 495260198 in the government's public comment system, and the legal basis cited includes the Act on Medical Care for Patients with Intractable Diseases (Act No. 50 of 2014) and the related 2014 health ministry notice (Notice No. 393) [1].
The ministry has made available several supporting documents, including an overview of the draft notice, an overview of the draft communication, the proposed revised communication text, and ten attached annexes [1]. Those wishing to submit opinions are instructed to first review the full public comment guidelines, including submission destinations, and the complete text of the proposed measures before submitting feedback [1]. Inquiries can be directed to the Division for Measures against Intractable Diseases at the ministry's Health and Sanitary Living Affairs Bureau by phone [1].
However, the sources make clear this is currently only a draft proposal open for public comment, not a finalized policy [1]. The specific diseases being added, removed, or reclassified, and the details of any changes to severity thresholds, were not specified in the available notice [1]. Readers who may be affected are advised to consult the full draft documents linked in the official notice or await further announcements from the ministry once the comment period closes and any final decision is made [1].
Source credit 出典：「難病の患者に対する医療等に関する法律第五条第一項の規定に基づき厚生労働大臣が指定する指定難病及び同法第七条第一項第一号の規定に基づき厚生労働大臣が定める病状の程度の一部を改正する件（案）及び「指定難病に係る診断基準及び重症度分類等について」の一部改正（案）に関する御意見の募集の結果について」（e-Govパブリックコメント）（https://public-comment.e-gov.go.jp/servlet/Public?CLASSNAME=PCMMSTDETAIL&id=495260198&Mode=0）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the e-Gov Public Comment did not write or review it.
Sources
This article was written by AI from these Japanese-language reports. Check them before acting on anything here.
- [1] e-Gov — original report (Japanese)