Beyond Borders: How Central Japan International Medical Center is Redefining Taiwan-Japan Medical Ties

The 2025 Healthcare+ Expo Taiwan witnessed a historic first in its nine-year history. The Central Japan International Medical Center (CJIMC), located in Minokamo City, Gifu Prefecture, became the first Japanese hospital to physically exhibit at Taiwan’s premier annual medtech event. For the hospital leadership, this presence represented far more than a showcase of advanced machinery. It signaled a deliberate pivot in the Taiwan-Japan medical relationship, moving from polite academic exchanges to substantive clinical cooperation. It also highlighted a significant effort by Japan’s private medical sector to build lasting, deep-rooted partnerships with Taiwan.

During the expo, Dr. Jitsuhiro Yamada, President of CJIMC, sat down for an exclusive interview with GeneOnline to discuss this strategic shift. As the former International President of Lions Clubs International with decades of experience in global public welfare, Dr. Yamada argues that sustainable cross-border healthcare relies on systems, trust, and clinical integration rather than just technologies and one-off publicity stunts.

Under this philosophy, the center showcased three flagship technologies: the ProBeam 360° proton therapy system, the Elmammo painless breast PET scanner, and focused ultrasound (FUS) for Parkinson’s disease. Dr. Yamada framed these not merely as advanced tools, but as components of a larger clinical ecosystem. He insists that true cooperation does not mean poaching patients. Instead, it involves integrating cross-border treatment into a patient’s existing medical journey.

Moving from Papers to Patients

Dr. Yamada offered a candid assessment of the current state of international medical affairs when asked about his motivation for exhibiting. He noted that while medical communities in Taiwan and Japan enjoy profound academic connections, these interactions often stay confined to research papers and conference halls. Rarely do they translate into tangible clinical benefits for actual patients.

He also pointed out that while both Japan and Taiwan have robust national hospital systems, their primary mandate is to serve their own citizens, which often makes them passive or hesitant regarding overseas patients. As a private hospital operating as a “Social Medical Corporation,” CJIMC possesses greater flexibility and a distinct sense of mission. Dr. Yamada stressed that medicine should know no borders, arguing that restricting world-class equipment and expertise solely to domestic patients is a missed opportunity. Therefore, the center chose to take the initiative and use the expo to build direct clinical channels that allow Taiwanese patients to access these resources seamlessly.

Three Pillars of Advanced Care: From Precision Oncology to Quality of Life

During the expo, CJIMC highlighted three flagship technologies that address urgent clinical needs, ranging from precision oncology to patient well-being enhancement, each offering distinct advantages over conventional approaches. One of them was the ProBeam 360° proton therapy system. Unlike traditional X-ray-based radiotherapy equipment, the Varian-manufactured system utilizes a superconducting cyclotron to accelerate protons to about 70% of the speed of light. It also combines a 360-degree rotating gantry with high-definition spot-scanning technology, enabling the delivery of high-energy proton beams from multiple angles to precisely target tumors of varying shapes and sizes. This approach concentrates radiation on the tumor while significantly reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissues.

As the first hospital in Japan to operate the ProBeam 360° proton therapy system, Dr. Yamada noted that it has delivered excellent outcomes after more than a year of clinical operation. Since the treatment is virtually painless and carries few side effects, many patients complete their course without needing hospitalization. Moving forward, the center plans to publish research papers to further validate the system’s data and clinical value on the international stage.

A Painless Approach to Breast Cancer Screening

The Elmammo system represents a victory for patient-centered design. Dr. Yamada pointed out that the intense compression pain associated with traditional mammography often discourages women from undergoing screening even though it is capable of detecting asymptomatic stage 0 breast cancer. This reluctance and aversion to examination often led to delayed diagnoses and missed windows for early intervention. 

To overcome this pain point, CJIMC partnered with manufacturers to develop Elmammo, a dedicated breast PET system. The device features a unique ring detector design where patients simply lie face down, placing the breast into a detector hole. The machine then captures images without any compression. As the first medical facility globally to adopt this technology, the center offers a screening process that provides higher sensitivity than whole-body PET scans while remaining completely painless.

Non-Invasive Relief for Parkinson’s Disease

For elderly patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor, the center offers focused ultrasound (FUS). While traditional interventions often require invasive brain surgery when medication fails, FUS combines high-resolution MRI navigation with thermal energy to precisely block abnormal neural circuits. The patient remains fully awake throughout the procedure. Dr. Yamada highlighted that the treatment involves no incisions and no radiation, and physicians can confirm tremor improvement in real-time. The entire process takes about one hour, offering patients a rapid path to regaining their independence.

Apart from these three cutting-edge tools, Dr. Yamada also drew attention to the center’s specialized treatment for tongue and oral cancers, which have a high incidence rate in Taiwan. The hospital utilizes a protocol combining intra-arterial chemotherapy with proton therapy. This approach has shown remarkable success in clearing tumors in severe cases often deemed inoperable, allowing patients to retain organ function and quality of life.

Transparency as a Policy

Cost and complexity often stand as the tallest barriers to cross-border medical care. Dr. Yamada addressed this concern directly, outlining a policy that may surprise many international patients. Given the fact that CJIMC operates as a Social Medical Corporation under Japan’s Medical Care Act, it adheres to a strict pricing structure. The hospital charges international patients the exact same fees for medical procedures as Japanese nationals. He also emphasized that the center does not apply the double or triple markups common in the medical tourism industry.

While patients must cover specific costs such as interpretation services or private room differentials, the core medical fees remain transparent and equal. The center also employs a team of medical translators covering seven languages, including Traditional Chinese, to provide translation and interpretation services, minimizing communication gaps. Regarding logistics, Dr. Yamada advised patients to bring a formal referral letter and complete imaging records from their Taiwanese doctors. This preparation prevents wasteful duplicate testing and allows the Japanese team to assess patients’ conditions immediately.

A New Model of Shared Care

To illustrate his vision, Dr. Yamada shared the story of a Korean woman in her 60s suffering from maxillary sinus cancer. Her doctors in Korea had deemed her condition inoperable and unresponsive to chemotherapy, recommending hospice care. Refusing to give up, she traveled to CJIMC this spring. After undergoing the center’s combined intra-arterial chemotherapy and proton therapy protocol, she was discharged in June 2025 with her tumor completely gone. She now returns to Japan periodically for check-ups and continues to recover well.

“This is exactly the cooperative model we hope to build with the Taiwanese medical system,” said Dr. Yamada. The center has already initiated exchanges with Shin Kong Hospital in Taipei and aims to deepen these ties. His vision is a seamless relay: patients complete initial diagnosis and assessment in Taiwan, travel to Japan for specialized treatment, and then return to their original Taiwanese hospitals for long-term follow-up. Through this “symbiotic” partnership, Taiwan-Japan healthcare cooperation will evolve beyond equipment sales or short-term medical tourism, transforming into a resilient, cross-border line of defense for safeguarding life.

Author

Richard Chau