three Questions with TAKAKAZU YAMAGISHI author of Health Insurance Politics in Japan

1. What inspired you to write this book?

To understand what health care means to people

To understand the nature of Japanese politics

Not having good books on the development of health care policy of Japan

3. In what ways will your book resonate with readers?

This book helps one understand why and how Japan achieved relatively low-cost health care system.

This book helps one understand why the Japanese government’s COVID-19 handling, including its vaccine policy, is so confusing.

This book helps one understand what role the Japanese Medical Association and other interest groups play in the development of health insurance policy and in response to

2. How will your book make a difference?

To add a book on the long-term institutional and political development of health insurancepolitics of Japan

To produce a book that pays attention to the path dependency effect, particularly ones of the

Meiji period and World War II, in the development of the Japanese health insurance policy

COVID-19.