The Finance Ministry has proposed a new levy on cosmetic medical institutions, charged according to the number of doctors and nurses they employ, as concern grows over young physicians who move straight into cosmetic work after their two-year clinical training.
The plan was presented by the Fiscal System Council, an advisory body to the finance minister, last week. The money collected would go toward training and securing doctors and nurses who work in regional areas.
Doctors who finish two years of initial training after medical school and enter cosmetic medicine without experience in insured treatment such as internal medicine or surgery are known as 直美 (chokubi), literally "straight into cosmetic." Their rise has drawn scrutiny because the public purse pays heavily for their training.
Training one doctor costs about ¥30 million in public funds at a national university and about ¥24 million at a private one.
Council defends the charge
“Increasing the burden is necessary if we are to reduce things like chokubi as much as possible.”Masuda Hiroya, acting chair of the council's subcommittee
Masuda said the public money spent on training doctors is meant to maintain people's health and cure illness. He said doctors should work mainly in insured treatment.
On November 8, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said on social media that her government would push ahead with better pay and conditions for care workers. "Every year November 11 is Care Day," she wrote. "We will work to create workplaces that are easier to work in and secure care personnel."
Why doctors head for cosmetics
Takasu Mikiya, director of the Nagoya clinic of Takasu Clinic and a son of the chain's chief director Takasu Katsumi, said the reason is simple. "It's because you can earn a lot with little effort, because the pay is high," he said.
He said a major cosmetic clinic recruits people with no experience and accepts chokubi doctors. A doctor in the third year, after two years of training, often earns ¥6 million to ¥7 million, he said.
"Going into cosmetics earns you about three times as much," Takasu said. "On top of that you can leave on time and your days off are properly guaranteed."
Takasu said he supports the levy. "Japanese cosmetic medicine has grown too big, and I think it should shrink a little," he said. "If pay for doctors and nurses in the regions is raised, that should stop people from moving into cosmetics to some extent."
The remarks were broadcast on TV Asahi's "Good! Morning" program on November 9.