Historical background of pharmacology education in medical school in Japan

Abstract

Medicine is the science and practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of a various kind of mental and physical disorders. About 150 year ago, Japan was opened to an influx of foreigners and foreign influence that went far beyond anything the Japanese had imagined. Meiji government decided to adopt German medicine in 1869. Even after that time, Japanese educational system appears to be influenced by western countries, especially United States. This is symbolized by JACME (Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education), aiming to strengthen and advance medical education in Japan from an international standpoint. This movement was partly because ECFMG (Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) that issues a certificate for post-graduate clinical training in US to graduates of non-US medical schools, made an announcement that only graduates from medical schools accredited based on the global standards would be eligible for taking the ECFMG examination after 2023. Knowing our own place, by combining basic and clinical point of views, it is now time for us to try to make every effort to review our own pharmacological education system in Japan.