The aim of the current nationwide survey was to investigate the Kampo medicine experiences of Japanese physicians working at hospitals designated as core cancer centers by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Among the 900 physicians surveyed, 92.4% reported having prescribed Kampo medications, of whom 73.5% reported having prescribed them for cancer patients. Despite this high percentage, only 28.7% of the physicians had studied Kampo medicine.
This survey found that over 40% of physicians in each generation had no intention of learning Kampo medicine. When asked to categorize their expectation of Kampo efficacy, about 30% said they had an ‘expectation’, a ‘no and yes expectation’, and ‘no expectation’ respectively.
However, physicians who had experience learning Kampo medicine had more expectation than physicians who had not. And the same expectation tendency for prophylaxis treatment was shown in physicians with that experience and those without. This difference is disadvantageous to patients. We therefore believe it necessary to create an environment in which physicians can learn Kampo medicine and methodology, which engenders cooperation between Kampo specialists and Japanese physicians in the treatment of cancer.

This study was conducted to assess the appropriateness of preparation fees for dispensing herbal medicines, which were revised in 2006. We investigated the amount of time needed to dispense herbal, and general medicines. For prescriptions of1to 15 days length, the average time needed for herbal prescriptions was 13.4 minutes, which was about 3 times longer than for other prescriptions, which took only 4.4 minutes. For prescriptions of over 30 days length, this was about 7 times longer. Next we comparatively investigated fees charged per minute to prepare herbal medicines, with those for other medicines. Fees for all prescriptions of 1 to 15 days length were nearly equal, while fees for herbal prescriptions of over 15 days length were approximately 1/3 to 1/5l ess. Finally, we investigated the number of prescriptions filled out at one university hospital. In 2003 the number of herbal prescriptions exceeding 30 days length was 2.7% overall, while in 2008 this had increased approximately 14 times, to 42%. We would like to recommend an increase in herbal medicine preparation fees, based on the number of days a prescription is for, as the number of long-term prescriptions is increasing.

Traditional medicine educational systems in Japan and China were compared.
In Japan, Kampo medicine has been integrated into the core curriculum of undergraduate education in all medical colleges since 2001. Japanese university medical schools give 6,000 hours of western medical educa tion, and only 30 hours of Kampo education. In China at Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) universities, nearly half of teaching hours are devoted to TCM, and half to Western medicine. And even at medical univer sities that specialize in Western medicine, students will usually have 80 hours in TCM courses. Usually it takes five years to graduate. In Japan, Kampo education puts a special focus on the Shang-han-lun and Jin-kui-yao lue texts, which still influence daily practice. In China, on the other hand, TCM doctors rely on traditional theories of Chinese medicine such as the Yin-Yang theory, the Five Elements theory or relationships between meridians and organs. Kampo specialists have been increasing in recent years, although in China, the number of TCM doctors has been decreasing. However, better traditional medicine education would play a role in in creasing our inheritance of both in Japan and in China.