April 29th 2003

For the 7th WFC Congress Country Report

In the last two years, there have been many movements in Japan related to the chiropractic profession.  Several threats have grown against the chiropractic profession.
 
 Other professions like massage therapists, acupuncturists and bonesetters have been working very hard to ban chiropractic practice in Japan.  A low level of public and government awareness and education about the chiropractic profession and a lack of legislation made their challenges easy.
 
 Even recent internal professional movements to create organizations in Japan have become a threat to the chiropractic profession.  Several Japanese organizations have requested overseas organizations to come and organize and then tried to use it for their own organizational gain.  Those overseas organizations that were willing to assist Japanese difficulties with good will were used differently.  I would like to warn organizations outside Japan to be cautious in becoming involved in professional activities in Japan.
 
 Still, many chiropractic schools have flourished in Japan.  Those schools have offered a far lower education level while claiming they are offering legitimate education.  Even some of them have been conducting anatomy tours to chiropractic colleges in the USA.  It is a great challenge for the schools to lift up their education level because the recruitment of students has become difficult. We strongly ask overseas bodies to stop helping schools without a firm commitment from the schools to lift up their educational standards. The Japanese Association of Chiropractors went on a campaign several times in a chiropractic newspaper to develop a chiropractic standardization course.  This campaign hopes to establish approved criteria for the standardized course by JAC.
 
 Also, we notified existing chiropractic schools in Japan about the WFC policy regarding the use of the title of chiropractor and the use of an international educational charter.  This letter was sent to the institutions and schools regarding WFC policy and the WFC educational charter; however, no response was received.
 
JAC has cautioned various organizations which tried to organize various professional matters because the members of these organizations have offered a lower level of education to the public for their personal gain without a firm commitment and schedule to improve to accepted international levels of education.  JAC tries to follow the WFC policy and international educational charter.
 
 We have both internal and external challenges to follow accepted ethics and international rules that is a must for a county like Japan.
 
 I would like to ask each of you to assist us and we will make every effort for an ethical, respectable chiropractic profession. 

Prepared by Dr Hiro Nakatsuka and presented by Dr Masato Moriwaki.