Overview of International Health in Postwar Japan

Abstract

This commentary traces the emergence and evolution of international cooperation in the medical and public health fields in postwar Japan. It examines how trends in the nature of its international cooperation efforts reflected economic and social trends over three time periods between the end of World War II and the end of the twentieth century. In the first period, Japan’s approach to international cooperation was both limited and influenced by its own reconstruction. In the second period, Japan sought to reenter the international community by making contributions towards world peace and international health. In the third period, Japan’s remarkable economic growth enabled it to become a major source of overseas development assistance around the world. The paper includes short profiles of eight Japanese innovators in international health cooperation (and mentions numerous others who were similarly active in the field). Over the years, these and many other individuals built Japanese international health agencies and shaped the country’s changing approaches to international health.