Increasingly popular worldwide, Japanese cuisine includes several raw preparations such as sashimi and sushi; however, limited information on food poisoning from Japanese local food is available in English literature. Without appropriate knowledge, physicians may underdiagnose traveler's diarrhea among people returning from Japan. To provide accurate information to primary care physicians worldwide, we conducted a narrative review on food poisoning research published in Japanese and English over the past four years, considering the frequency and clinical importance of various presentations.

Although the demand for general physicians has increased in Japan because of its aging population, medical universities primarily provide organ-based education; thus, medical students do not receive sufficient general medical education. The number of residents focusing on general medicine remains low; therefore, to understand the present situation regarding general medicine education, we attempted to clarify the views of medical students and the factors influencing them. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted in 12 medical students at Shimane University, and the results were analyzed through thematic analysis. The results indicated the emergence of three themes and 14 concepts. The three overarching themes were as follows: hopes for the field of general medicine, gaps between ideal and reality of general medicine, and factors affecting students’ motivation for specialization in general medicine. Medical students had a positive impression of general medicine and believed that it has potential for further development; however, they felt a gap between their ideals and reality (i.e., unclear expertise). Factors creating this gap included poorly developed education and medical policies. We need to restructure general medicine education based on the participants’ perceptions by establishing collaborative curricula between universities and community hospitals and by increasing students’ exposure to general medicine.

General medicine, as the Japanese version of primary care or family medicine, is critical for healthcare in aging societies. Medical students’ perceptions of general medicine and education might be associated with changes in the number of general physicians. This study aimed to clarify the association between these perceptions and students’ preferences for general medicine. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Japanese medical students using a questionnaire on their perceptions regarding general medicine, background, and preferences for general medicine (knowledge, interest, motivation, and intention). The response rate was 70.3% (490/697). There was a large percentage gap between interest and motivation; therefore, a logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the cause of this difference. The perceptions that general medicine meets the needs of society and the lack of general medicine educators were positively associated with motivation to become a general physician. In contrast, perceptions of lack of exposure to general medicine beyond the curriculum and inaccessibility were negatively associated with motivation. Medical students’ motivation to pursue general medicine may increase with improvements in flexible general medicine education and accessibility. Future research should investigate the relationship between students’ perceptions of general medicine and their motivation to become general physicians through longitudinal studies.