In light of the present revolution happening in medical education in Japan as medical schools implement new curricula to conform to global standards, there is a growing demand for more internationalization and higher quality practical medical English education. In response, many institutions including governmental organizations, universities and academic associations are moving ahead with new initiatives to adapt to these changing demands. This paper reviews the current trends and innovations in medical English education in Japan. This paper also describes one initiative by the Japan College of Rheumatology (JCR) known as the JCR International School held yearly in Karuizawa. By examining recent trends and innovations in medical English education in Japan, the most relevant and applicable can be elucidated to illuminate a path forward for improved medical English education within the JCR.

Abdominal bioelectrical impedance analysis (aBIA) has been in use to measure visceral fat area (VFA) in adults. Accurately measuring visceral fat using aBIA in children is challenging. Forty-six school-aged Japanese children aged 6–17 years (25 boys and 21 girls) were included in this study. All were measured, and their VFA obtained using aBIA (VFA-aBIA) and abdominal computed tomography (CT) (VFA-CT) were compared. VFA-aBIA was corrected using the Passing–Bablok method (corrected VFA-aBIA). The relationships between corrected VFA-aBIA and obesity-related clinical factors were analyzed, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and serum leptin and adiponectin levels. Boys had higher VFA-CT than girls (p = 0.042), although no significant differences were found in their waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and body mass index. The corrected VFA-aBIA using y = 9.600 + 0.3825x (boys) and y = 7.607 + 0.3661x (girls) correlated with VFA-CT in both boys and girls. The corrected VFA-aBIA in patients with NAFLD was higher than that in those without NAFLD. Serum leptin and adiponectin levels were positively and negatively correlated with corrected VFA-aBIA, respectively. In conclusion, corrected VFA-aBIA was clearly correlated with VFA-CT and was related to NAFLD and serum leptin and adiponectin levels in school-aged Japanese children.

Background: Flipped classroom methodologies have gained popularity and undergone much research scrutiny in recent years. However, there have been no studies examining the effects of flipping an English, first-year, basic medical history taking, oral communication skills course in Japan.Methods: A 1-year prospective cohort of students (n = 135) enrolled in an English, basic medical history taking course (30 hours) was taught using a flipped approach. A historical cohort of students (n = 128) was taught using a more conventional task-based communicative approach (45 hours) for comparison. Baseline metrics indicated that there was adequate similarity for comparison between the two groups. Performance examination scores were analyzed to assess effectiveness in 4 categories: Spoken English Proficiency (SEP); Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS); Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE); Comprehension (Comp.).Results: The overall average examination score increased from 67.5 ± 1.5% (mean ± SE) in 2014 to 77.5 ± 1.5% in 2015 (mean difference between the groups, 9.6%; [95 percent CI, 5.5% to 13.7%], P < .001) indicating a significant improvement in student performance. Largest gains were observed in SEP and CIS and there were no significant changes in the ICE and Comp. categories.Conclusion: It appears that students performed significantly better in a basic history taking examination with a simulated patient in English after having been taught using the "Flipped Classroom" method, despite having had 15 fewer classroom hours. Therefore, it is worth considering this innovative methodology as a means to improve educational effectiveness.

This study revealed that there are rather differences between two hospitals' surgeries features. It was thought that it would be beneficial to both institutions to gain a deeper understanding of the areas of expertise of each university in order to foster an environment conducive to increasing future international collaborations.

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