MHLW Announces Six Priority Areas for Proactive Preventive Healthcare

On July 23, 2026, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare compiled and published the “U.E.N.O. Plan—MHLW Measures for Proactive Preventive Healthcare.”

The purpose of the initiative is to improve health literacy so that each citizen can regard their own health as a personal responsibility and take the initiative in promoting it.

In areas where improving health literacy alone is unlikely to produce sufficient effects, the initiative was formulated to strengthen active intervention by government agencies, insurers, and others and promote effective behavior change.

The first set of priority areas consists of six fields: nutrition and diet, cancer and cardiovascular disease, dental health, dementia, rehabilitation, and healthcare associated with sex differences. These were designated as the first priority areas requiring immediate action.

The inquiry contact for nutrition and diet is the Nutrition Guidance Office of the Health Division, Health and Life Hygiene Bureau; for cancer and cardiovascular disease, it is the Cancer and Disease Control Division of the same bureau; and for dental health, it is the Dental and Oral Health Promotion Office of the Dental Health Division, Medical Policy Bureau.

The inquiry contact for dementia is the Dementia Policy and Community Care Promotion Division, Geriatric Health Bureau; for rehabilitation, it is the Medical Affairs Division, Medical Policy Bureau; and for healthcare associated with sex differences, it is the Women's Health Promotion Office, Health Division, Health and Life Hygiene Bureau.

Preventive medical models, collaborative health, and personal incentives were presented as foundational initiatives. The inquiry contact for preventive medical models and collaborative health is the Insurance Business Promotion Section, Insurance Division, Health Insurance Bureau; for personal incentives, it is the Office for Promoting Medical Cost Optimization Measures, Health Insurance Bureau.

Inquiry contacts for individual measures are listed as the departments responsible for each initiative area. The general inquiry contact is the General Affairs Division, Health and Life Hygiene Bureau, and readers are directed to the bottom of the page for individual measures.

The inquiry contact information was published as of July 23, 2026. The published materials include three types of documents: an overview in Attachment 1, reference materials in Attachment 2, and the main document in Attachment 3.