Universal health insurance: The unfinished reform of Japan’s healthcare system

The Asia-Pacific War and the U.S. occupation of Japan led to the rapid development of health insurance protection for broad segments of the Japanese population. Both during the war and after, the Japanese government dramatically expanded and increased its control over health insurance programs. Circumstances in the immediate postwar period also induced the introduction of more egalitarian healthcare features, which became the basis for the eventual introduction of health insurance coverage for the entire population in Japan.