Awards Ceremony for the Akahige Grand Prize of the Japan Medical Association

On March 5, 2026, Prime Minister Takaichi attended the 14th Awards Ceremony for the Akahige Grand Prize of the Japan Medical Association held in Tokyo.

The Prime Minister stated in her congratulatory address:

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Let me first apologize for being unable to arrive a little earlier, as I just held the Japan-Germany Summit Telephone Meeting.

I would like to offer my heartfelt congratulations to all the recipients of the prestigious ‘Akahige Grand Prize’ and ‘Akahige Merit Award’ today.

The recipients this time not only treat illness. Rooted in their communities as local primary care physicians, they have also devoted themselves in various settings to the prevention of disease among residents as well as the maintenance and promotion of their health. They have supported the lives of residents through medical care for many years.

They are truly modern-day ‘Dr. Akahige’ (a famous doctor from a film by KUROSAWA Akira), and this award will greatly encourage doctors engaged in regional health care across the country.

Protecting the lives and health of the people is important in terms of security. At the end of last year, an amendment to the Medical Care Act was enacted, in anticipation of changes in medical needs due to an aging population and population decline. We will formulate a new vision for regional health care that includes not only hospitalization but also coordination with outpatient care, home-based medical care, and nursing care. In addition, we will undertake comprehensive measures designed to rectify the uneven distribution of doctors.

We will also give concrete form to a ‘proactive preventive healthcare approach.’ By extending people’s healthy life expectancy, we will strive to enable them to remain active and play a supporting role in sustaining our society, including the social security system.

I hope that initiatives such as those undertaken by the award recipients today will spread throughout the country, creating a society where each and every citizen can truly feel happiness.

I will also do my utmost to make this a reality. In closing, let me extend my best wishes for your continued success. March 5, 2026. TAKAICHI Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan. My sincere congratulations. Thank you.”