Despite 2 million foreign residents and calls for internationalization from within, Japan has a long way to go before becoming a multilingual society. The current state of health care is no exception. Be it university hospitals with cutting-edge research facilities or your neighborhood dental clinic, few medical institutions in Japan are capable of serving patients in a foreign language.
So for Millie Pang, a 36-year-old Danish-Chinese who has lived in Japan for 3 1/2 years, it was only natural to look for a facility that caters to foreigners when she became pregnant about two years ago.
Language is the No. 1 concern for foreigners receiving health care here, Pang said. "When you are sick, you can't explain fully if this is your second language," Pang said. "You are really ill, tired and you might have fever. So the last thing you want to do is to go translate. You don't have the energy."