My History
I began my career as a gastroenterologist at a university hospital. From early on, I knew I wanted to establish my own clinic, and opening a private practice was always part of my long-term plan. The real turning point in my life came when I was introduced to home medical care.A senior colleague once invited me to assist with home visits, and I decided to participate once or twice a week. To be honest, I didn’t fully understand what home medical care involved at the time. But once I stepped into the field, I discovered a world completely different from hospital medicine.
In a university hospital, advanced equipment, diagnostic tools, and medical resources are readily available—you can provide highly specialized care instantly. In home care, however, you must deliver the best possible treatment within the limits of the environment. It requires stepping into patients’ daily lives, communicating deeply, and providing truly personalized support. As someone who naturally enjoys conversation, I found myself drawn to this form of “medicine that lives alongside people.” I also became convinced that Japan’s aging population would make home care an essential part of the country’s medical future.
One patient in particular shaped my view of medicine. Early in my home-care experience, I met a cancer patient who told me, “I don’t want treatment. I want to spend my remaining time at home doing what I love.” At first, I thought, “If you had surgery, you could live longer.” But her decision never wavered. She chose to forgo treatment and lived peacefully for about two more years, spending her days enjoying simple conversations and, ultimately, passing away gracefully at home surrounded by family.
That experience taught me that curing disease is not the only form of good medicine. True care means respecting each person’s values and way of life. Working in hospitals had kept my focus narrowly on the illness itself, but home care expanded my perspective to include the patient’s life, family, and beliefs.
The Present
After four years practicing home care at a private clinic, I founded my own home-care-focused clinic in 2019. Today, based in Chofu and Komae, our organization provides 24-hour, year-round support for approximately 800 patients and their families. Our team—composed of physicians from multiple specialties, nurses, and rehabilitation professionals—offers comprehensive care that combines home visits, nursing, and rehabilitation, including palliative and end-of-life services.
Many people assume home medical care is limited, but we strive to deliver hospital-level treatment at home whenever possible. We perform X-rays, ECGs, ultrasounds, and blood tests on site, and we can manage advanced care such as IV therapy, oxygen therapy, and ventilator management. We place particular emphasis on palliative and end-of-life care, focusing not only on pain control but also on honoring each patient’s wishes and providing dignified, compassionate support throughout their daily life.
Home care, however, cannot exist in isolation. It depends on collaboration among nurses, pharmacists, care providers, and community hospitals. To achieve this, we operate an online platform that allows all members—nurses, pharmacists, care managers, and aides—to share updates in real time. This system enables seamless communication and the delivery of truly integrated community care.
We also follow a guiding principle: “We are patient-first—but not always patient-only.”
While the idea may sound contradictory, many families and caregivers supporting patients often become overwhelmed. Even when a daily procedure or feeding regimen is medically appropriate, it can place a heavy strain on them. That’s why we always ask, “Who is the person most in need right now?” Our mission is to prioritize whoever is struggling the most. Ultimately, this approach creates a more stable and sustainable home-care environment for everyone involved.
Alongside my clinical work, I am also committed to education. I serve as a professor and visiting lecturer at a university hospital, teaching graduate students, delivering lectures, and mentoring medical students and residents. Medical education in Japan has changed little since my own training, yet our society is aging faster than anywhere else in the world—one in three Japanese citizens is now over 65. For Japan to adapt, healthcare must move beyond hospital-centered models. We must support people to live healthily and comfortably in their own homes.
That’s why I believe medical students should experience home care early in their training. By working directly with patients, they can see what “necessary medicine” truly means and understand that empathy, intuition, and communication are just as vital as medical knowledge. Helping the next generation of doctors learn this perspective is one of our core missions.
For the Future
AI is rapidly transforming healthcare. With sufficient data, AI can already suggest diagnoses and treatments, and in some cases, it may outperform humans in straightforward clinical decisions.
However, the “best” treatment can differ completely depending on a patient’s life circumstances — family situation, cultural or religious background, and financial condition. A therapy that is medically correct may not be right for someone who cannot travel to a hospital regularly or who simply chooses not to pursue aggressive treatment. Understanding these nuances and helping patients make decisions that align with their lives is a role only human physicians can fulfill. I often remind younger doctors: “Those who see only the disease will be replaced by AI. The doctors who remain indispensable are those who can see and support the person behind the illness—their life, values, and humanity.”
At the same time, many physicians hesitate to enter home care because of the challenge of providing 24-hour coverage. For community doctors who already manage outpatient clinics, handling emergency calls alone during nights and weekends can be overwhelming. To address this, we are collaborating with local medical associations and public authorities to create a regional support network that shares nighttime and emergency responsibilities across multiple clinics. Building a sustainable system that allows doctors to continue home care without excessive burden is essential for the future of community medicine. By strengthening these regional frameworks, we can revitalize home care across Japan.
Home medical care is about standing beside people and helping them live their final days with dignity and purpose. In an aging society, it is one of the most meaningful and socially valuable forms of medicine. And in the age of AI, heart-centered medicine—the kind that only humans can provide—will become even more important. Japanese healthcare is changing alongside society itself, evolving from “medicine that sustains life” to “medicine that enriches life.” We will continue to advance the future of healthcare together with our community, guided by our founding spirit of love, gratitude, and service, contributing to both local medicine and society through the practice of home medical care.