2025 Volume 74 Issue 1 Pages 28-42
The “Law Concerning Support for Children with Medical Care and Their Families” was enacted by the Japanese Diet on June 11, 2021. The challenges surrounding children requiring phlegm suctioning and tube feeding first gained attention in the context of school education in 1988. Since then, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) have implemented various measures to address these issues. These efforts include clarifying the legal interpretation of non-medical personnel performing such acts, authorizing specific procedures under the revised Social Worker and Care Worker Law, and distinguishing acts that are not fundamentally considered medical. This study examines the historical development of these measures, identifies challenges regarding community integration for children with medical care needs, and discusses potential future directions.
