It is important to have a family doctor who has a clinic in your neighborhood with whom you can consult whenever necessary.
You should first visit a clinic in your area for an examination upon showing mild symptoms. If you have a serious illness or symptoms of which the cause is unknown, the doctor will refer you to a specialist hospital that can offer specialist treatment.

1. If you are worried about language problems, use an interpreter service (depending on the district, an international exchange society will provide an interpreter service).
2. If there is something you do not understand, ask immediately.
3. Ask the doctor to explain such things as test results and methods of taking medication as easily as possibly until you understand.
4. Do not be late for appointments or consultation times.
5. Do not use a mobile phone or PHS phone inside a hospital or clinic.
6. Consult with the hospital in regards to inpatient costs, items you do not understand, services you may use. If there is a social worker at the hospital, consult with the social worker.
7. In Japan, there are many services you must apply for on your own, otherwise you will not be able to make use of them. It is important therefore to know about them. If you want such information, consult a social worker. Since consultation is free and privacy is protected, feel free to consult a social worker or medical facility.

A multi-lingual chart of words and phrases used at a medical examination interview is available at the following website.
Kanagawa International Association ? Multi-lingual Medical Examination Chart
(kanagawa-ken kokusai koryu kyokai tagengo monshin hyo)
http://www.k-i-a.or.jp/

• Eligible persons
• Those aged 40 or older, who receive a health event of the city.
• Those aged 75 or older. Those who have disable defined by law and have mayor’s recognition

(Inquiries) Health Division, National Health Insurance and Pension Division

Those people aged 75 or older (or those people born on or before September 30, 1932, and people aged 65 or older with a specified disability) who live in Ikoma and who have health insurance will receive treatment based on the law for the welfare of the elderly. These people will require a health insurance certificate, identification as per the law for the welfare of the elderly, and a medical care certificate.

• Partial liability when receiving medical care
  People without specified conditions are liable for 10% of the costs
  People whose income is above a specified amount are liable for 30% of the costs
  N.B.: "People whose income is above a specified amount" are those who have in the same household people aged 70 or older whose income subject to residential tax is at least 1.45 million yen, or people who are receiving medical treatment based on health insurance for the elderly.
  If the total income corresponds to any of the following, however, the liability will be 10% on the application of the person concerned.
1. If one person in the household is 70 or older (including people who are 65 or older and who are receiving medical treatment based on health insurance for the elderly): Income less than 3.83 million yen.
2. If two or more people in the household are 70 or older (including people who are 65 or older and who are receiving medical treatment based on health insurance for the elderly): Income less than 5.20 million yen.
• The payment of high medical expenditures
  When the monthly medical expenditures are high, the amount exceeding the limits for personal liability are paid later as high medical expenditures.
  

Amount of personal liability limits (Monthly) (As of October 1, 2006)

Income classification	Outpatient only (Individuals)	Outpatient and inpatient (Households)
People whose income is above a specified amount	44,400 yen	80,100 yen + (Medical expenses ? 267,000 yen) × 1％
General	12,000 yen	44,400 yen
Low income 2	8,000 yen	24,600 yen
Low income 1	8,000 yen	15,000 yen

N.B. 1: Low income 2 is those households not subject to residential tax.
N.B. 2: Low income 1 is those households not subject to residential tax and whose income is less than a specified amount.
(Inquiries) National Health Insurance and Pension Division, Welfare and Medical Section

All-Japan Federation of National Health Insurance Organizations ? Homepage (Website)
(Health Care System for the Elderly ? in English)

We will provide financial assistance to those people born before July 31, 1940 (and older than 65 and younger than 70), and whose income tax rate for the municipal residents tax places them in a tax-exempt household, for the amount of their personal liability, less 10%, when they use their health insurance certificate to receive treatment at a hospital. This will not apply to the standard liability for meals when hospitalized.
N.B.: When receiving treatment at a medical facility outside the prefecture, the bill must be presented at City Hall with the receipt attached.

• Necessary Documents: National Health Insurance certificate, Seal, bank account(except for Post Office), tax exemption certificate of all household membership (in case of moving-in).

(Inquiries) National Health Insurance and Pension Division, Welfare and Medical Section

To assist the Elderly to be active, persons at 70 years of age or older (or persons who will be 70 years of age within the year) who are registered in Ikoma City receive the assistance of fare once a year. They can choose from following fares as much as 15,000 yen.

• Railroad (Surutto-KANSAI Card) \5,000
• Bus (Nara Kotsu, NC-Bus)
  (CI-CA Bus-Card, CI-CA Himawari-Card) \5,000
• Taxi-ticket (Contract company) \5,000

(Inquiries) Social Welfare Division

Those at 60 years of age or older who live in Ikoma City will receive use-ticket of public-bath in Ikoma Sanrokukoen Fureai-Center and Kinshinomori Yamato-en free of charge.

• Place to issue: ‘Social Welfare Division’
• Necessary Documents: Document that certifies name, address, birth date, etc.(Copy of health insurance ID, Driving license, etc.)

(Inquiries) Social Welfare Division

The foreigner born before April 1,1926 who was registered in this city as of January 1,1982 can receive 20,000 yen every month. However, following persons cannot receive.

• Those who receive public assistance
• Those who are in social welfare facilities
• Those who receive 240,000 yen or more every year as public Pension.
• Those whose income of previous year is more than allowance of Welfare Pension for the Elderly (oneself, spouse, dependents)
• Those who receive a ‘special allowance for severely physically and mentally disabled foreigner’ in Ikoma City.

(Inquiries) Social Welfare Division

We encourage the use of flu shots for those elderly aged 65 or older (though some people aged 60 to 64 with internal disorders are eligible). Our objective is to prevent the outbreak of illness or serious disorders in the elderly. The shots are given once during the period from October to December at designated medical institutions for a fee of 1,000 yen. There is no fee charged to members of households exempt from the municipal resident’s tax or families receiving public assistance if they submit an application.
(Inquiries) Health Division

The handbook is required when physically disabled persons use various welfare programs.
Those with disabilities of vision, hearing, language, limbs, heart, kidneys, respiratory organs, bladder, rectum, small intestine, and immunity function are receive. They are classified from 1st to 6th classes by the degree.
Medical certificate of doctor designated by prefecture and application are required.
(Inquiries) Welfare Support Division

The handbook is required when mentally disabled persons use various welfare programs.
This handbook is issued to those who are recognized as mentally disabled at ‘Child guidance center’ or ‘Rehabilitation clinic for mentally disabled’. They are classified A or B by the degree. Application is required.
(Inquiries) Welfare Support Division

Those persons eligible to receive a mental illness insurance welfare booklet (for the confirmation of identity) are those persons who are restricted in their daily activities and activities in society due to their specific mental illness. The severity of the mental illness is classified from Grades 1 to 3. To perform the procedures to apply for benefits, attach a medical certificate (completed six months after the initial diagnosis) to the designated application form and submit it to the Health Division.
Further, those people who are receiving a disability annuity due to mental illness may apply for benefits by attaching to the application form an annuity certificate (the certificate that is included with the notification of an annuity ruling) and the most recent notification of annuity payment or a copy of that notification.
(Inquiries) Health Division

We provide financial assistance for the amount of personal liability when people from age 1 to 65, those with Class 1 or Class 2 of physical disability handbook, or those with the mental disability handbook A use their health insurance certificates at hospitals. (Except for the standard liability amount for meals during hospital admission)
When treatment is received at prefectural medical institutions, the financial assistance is automatically transferred to a registered bank account after the personal liability amount for the insured treatment is paid. (The automatic return system)

• Necessary Documents: National Health Insurance certificate, Seal, Handbook for the physically disabled or Handbook for the Mentally disabled, bank account(except for Post Office), proof of earnings (in case of moving-in).

(Inquiries) National Health Insurance and Pension Division, Welfare and Medical Section

We provide financial assistance for the amount of personal liability when those recipients of benefits from the healthcare system for the elderly or the healthcare financial aid system for the elderly conform to the following conditions and use their health insurance certificates at hospitals. (Except for the standard liability amount for meals during hospital admission)

1. Those people who have Class 1 or Class 2 physical disability certificates or have received health care certificate A from Nara Prefecture
2. Women whose husbands are not present and who have children younger than 18 years of age
3. Women (whose husbands are not present, or who are unmarried) raising children (whose parents are not present) younger than 18 years of age as a guardian.

• Necessary Documents:
  National Health Insurance certificate
  Seal
  Handbook for the physically disabled or Handbook for the Mentally disabled, bank account (The person who applies to group 1 of Assistance for medical expenses of severe mentally and physically elderly disabled)
  Copy of Family Registration (The person who applies to group 2 and 3 of Assistance for medical expenses of severe mentally and physically elderly disabled)

(Inquiries) National Health Insurance and Pension Division, Welfare and Medical Section

Those who have following requirements wholly can receive 20,000 yen every month.

• Those who were 20 years old before January 1,1982.
• Foreigners (or those who were foreigner) who have Resident Card or Foreigner Registration card.
• The severely physically and mentally disabled who cannot receive ‘Disability Basic Pension’.
• Those who were registered in Japan as of January 1, 1982. (Except for those who had U.S.A. nationality, and were recognized after 20 years old.)

Except for the following cases:

• Those who receive public assistance according to the Livelihood Protection Act.
• Those who are in social welfare facilities
• Those who receive 240,000 yen or more every year as public Pension.
• Those whose income of previous year is more than allowance of Disability Basic Pension.

(Inquiries) Welfare Support Division

• Medical expenses assistance
  Depending on the degree of the disability and the extent of the medical treatment, partial assistance is available for medical expenses.
• Supply of equipment and its repairs
  Equipment (wheelchairs, artificial legs, hearing aids, canes for the visually impaired, etc.) required by people with a disability, depending on the degree of the disability and livelihood circumstances, are supplied and repaired or lent.
• Issuing of allowances
  Depending on the degree and type of disability, allowances are issued to people with serious disabilities.

(Inquiries) Welfare Support Division

To assist single mother families and widows in maintaining a secure livelihood the ‘Living Expenses Fund’ (Seikatsu Shikin) is available. There is also the ‘Work Support Fund’ (Jigyo Kaishi Shikin) to assist them in becoming financially independent, and the ‘Education Support Fund’ (Shugaku Shien Shikin) for children as well as various other funds from which low-interest or no-interest loans are available.
(Inquiries) Children's Welfare Division

This allowance is given to single mothers or guardians (if mother is absent) rearing the children under the age of 18 (until the following March 31st after having completed 18 years of age) who don’t live with their father. Children with certain grade disabilities under the age of 20 are included.
(Income restrictions are applied. Single mothers or guardians who receive some public Pension are not included.)
(Inquiries) Children's Welfare Division

Violence in the home is physical or mental suffering beyond a certain level imposed on a spouse, child or elderly person (weak person) inside the home or in places outsiders cannot observe. In particular, physical suffering caused by violence can be considered a criminal act.
In 2002, ‘Laws related to protection from violence inflicted by a spouse and the protection of victims’ (DV Prevention Act) (DV Boshi Ho) were enacted and in which provision of counseling concerning violence inflicted by a spouse and the protection of victims was stipulated.
(Inquiries) Women's Center(in Ikoma SeiSei Building, 6-12, Moto-machi 1-chome, Ikoma City) TEL 0743-75-0556

Gender Equality Bureau, Cabinet Office ? Homepage (Website)
(Information of Assistance in Incidents of Spousal Violence ? in English)
http://www.gender.go.jp/e-vaw/siensya/08.html#forigner1

If you are a victim or know of someone who is a victim, consult the nearest ‘domestic violence Consultation and Support Center (Haigusha Boryoku Sodan Shien Center) welfare office or police station. There are also women-only telephone counseling services, ‘Women’s Human Rights Hotline’ (Josei no Jinken Hotline) provided by Regional Legal Affairs Bureaus (Chiho Homu Kyoku) throughout the country.
At the ‘domestic violence Consultation and Support Center’ consultation is provided by women, and protection is also available.
(Inquiries) Nara Central Children and Family Counseling Office(TEL 0742-22-4083)

1. Consultation for women with concerns or troubles regarding their daily lives
• Location: Women's Center on the 3rd floor of Ikoma Seisei Building
• Time: 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays and the period from December 29 to January 3.
• Persons in charge: Social education personnel
2. Consultations by women specializing in women’s issues (They provide assistance to women with difficulties for resolving their problems and developing independence, and providing support enabling them to lead their lives as they choose.)
• Location: Women's Center on the 3rd floor of Ikoma Seisei Building
• Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. (Reservations required.) If these days fall on a holiday, the consultations will be conducted the following day.
• Persons in charge: Counselors for women’s issues
3. Interview counseling by female attorneys for domestic violence, sexual harassment, stalkers, divorce, and other issues
• Location: Women's Center on the 3rd floor of Ikoma Seisei Building
• Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month. (Reservations required.) If this day falls on a holiday, the consultations will be conducted the following day.
• Persons in charge: Female attorneys

(Inquiries) Women's Center(in Ikoma SeiSei Building, 6-12, Moto-machi 1-chome, Ikoma City)
TEL 0743-75-0556