In Japan, people insured by the National Health Insurance can be entitled to an annual health check. Besides that, most companies provide their full-time employees a health check once a year. Self-employed and unemployed have to have National Health Insurance. Depending on your age and municipality, you may be subsidized or take free testing. The health check usually includes height and weight measurements, blood tests, urine tests, and chest X-rays. For people over certain ages, fecal occult blood tests, breast, urine, breast, and cervical cancer are available.

Checkups provided by companies are usually free; those by the National Health Insurance are subsidized mostly or free. The checkups are helpful but need a level of precision. More comprehensive health checks by copayment are necessary. We should take uterine cancer cytology, breast ultrasound once every two years, or colonoscopy as the doctor indicates. Oh, I need to add information. Depending on their age, citizens can take a gastroscopy or a barium test for stomach cancer.

Yes, I would. Still, there are problems caused by such a fine system: unnecessary procedures, medicine, or hospitalization duration. Some people enjoy going to clinics as a pastime. The medical bills are not expensive for most people, but our taxes and National Health Insurance premiums cover unnecessary costs. Progressive taxation of income is unfair. Instead, a consumption tax, a flat tax, should be raised.