Medical education in Japan has centered upon Western medicine since the Meiji Era. Nevertheless, because patients have a great interest in Oriental medicine, many physicians have treated patients with traditional Chinese medicine. The Oriental Medicine Research Institute of Tokyo Women's Medical University opened in 1992, when education in Oriental medicine became a part of the curriculum. To understand the status of education in Oriental medicine in Japan, we conducted a questionnaire survey of all medical schools in the nation. With a response rate of 97.5%, the survey found that one university in four teaches Oriental medicine.
Since 1990, recognition of “alternative medicine, ” in contrast to “modern medicine, ” has gradually increased in both research and education around the world. In Germany, which was the model for the introduction of western medicine to Japan, the use of traditional herbs and spa treatment is already taught in medical school. In the United States, where the National Institutes of Health have established an alternative treatment clinic, research and education are already ongoing at many medical schools.
In such a global situation, the need for education in traditional Oriental medicine will increase, and systematizing such education may become a great challenge. We expect that Oriental medicine will one day be taught at all medical schools in Japan and will become part of the state medical examination.