Possible Utilization of Personal Data and Medical Care in Japan, Focusing on Japan’s Act on Anonymously Processed Medical Information to Contribute to Medical Research and Development

ABSTRACT

In Japan, there is no special law for the comprehensive utilization of personal data in the medical field, and a comprehensive legal system has been lacking for decades. This paper examines the background and issues of the cancer registration law specific to cancer and the legal structure of medical information in Japan and points out that one of the problems that has become clear in dealing with COVID-19 is the difficulty of handling the complicated system of anonymously processed information and the difficulty of using it for the purpose. The report also points out that the Medical Big Data Law, which is also based on the premise of anonymous use, has a complex mechanism in addition to that of the Personal Information Protection Law. A system to certify certification bodies and other protection measures will be introduced yesterday, but before examining the specifics of anonymization, it is necessary to establish a fundamental system that enables the use of more basic information in a way that can be easily understood by healthcare professionals. In conclusion, this paper points out that in the future, while protecting personal information, it will be useful to reorganize it into a special law that is easier to understand from a comprehensive point of view, and to construct a law that makes medical information available to contribute to medical research and development, to reduce the increase in medical costs. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.