Greetings from the Director General

Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) is a leading organization concerning global health in Japan. We execute various activities based on our mission: "Aiming to realize a world where all people have equal opportunity to lead a healthy life, the Bureau of International Health Cooperation provides support around the world, including low- and middle-income countries, to improve health care using our expertise and contributes to creating healthier lives for the people of Japan by bringing these experiences back to Japan."

In order to realize this mission, we also defined our vision as follows: “With the goal of creating a healthy society that ‘leave no one behind‘, we strive to become one of the leading organizations in the field of global health.”

COVID-19 pandemic marked a significant change in the field of global health. It shook the health systems that are the cornerstone of universal health coverage (UHC)* even in high-income countries that are considered to have achieved it. Although pre-pandemic routines have been returning since last year, we must not forget the lessons learned at great cost and think what is the most needed in the post-COVID era.

We set five strategies and five priority areas to fulfill our mission and realize our vision.

As a group of experts in the field of global health, we will expand our collaboration with the national governmental institutions such as the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Japan International Cooperation Agency; international organizations such as the WHO; universities, research institutes, and academic associations; non-governmental organizations; and private companies. Under such collaboration, we will dispatch experts for technical cooperation activities, contribute to policy formulations, conduct research, train domestic and overseas health professionals, and promote innovative programs.

Recently in the global community, it is said that the post-COVID-19 is continuously facing the complex public health emergencies, including communicable diseases, climate change, disasters, and so forth. The resilient systems to accurately predict and adequately prepare for such risks even before they occur are increasingly required for the future. In 2025, NCGM will undergo a major transformation by merging with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and will become the Japan Institute for Health Security (JIHS). As the member of JIHS, by making use of our over 30 years’ experience in the field of global health, we will be committed to achieving more resilient health systems and UHC for realizing a sustainable and diverse society where “no one is left behind”.

I thank you for your kind support and cooperation.

  
July 2024

Dr. Tetsuya Miyamoto

Director General, Bureau of International Health Cooperation,
National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan

*UHC: The goal that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship (WHO)