The leprosy policy of Japan began from when the government enacted “law No. 11 (The leprosy prevention act)” in 1907 (Meiji 40) and several leprosy sanatoriums were built and the patient who wanders about was received. Then, in rise of totalitarianism, the isolation policy of Japan gained national support under a slogan “Patient Relief”, and it would become the big factor to which enactment of “Leprosy Prevention Law” in 1931 (Showa 6) and leprosy policy changed to segregation which aimed at internment of all leprosy patients.
From today's research on the leprosy policy of Japan, it is internment of all leprosy patients, whole life isolation, social defense and neglect of patients' human-rights and led to many tragedy of patient. However, there is little research which can reply clearly to the question of whether the leprosy policy of Japan was really original and what the factors of led to the formation of the segregation policy.
This paper focuses on the relation between leprosy policy and medicine, and from this, I make clear the similarity, or peculiarity of the isolation policy between Japan and the vest of the world, and clarify the factors of progress of the absolute isolation policy.
The processes are historical and medical historical the verification of the relation between the formation of the national medicine and the progress of the isolation policy of Meiji Era, the proposal of the isolation policy by Dr. Keizo Dohi, Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, and Dr. Masatsugu Yamane, and the application by Dr. Kensuke Mitsuda, the decision to enact this policy and its support by the Health and Medical Bureau and the Department of the Interior, as well as many factors.

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WHO has recently proposed a 5-year strategy plan for leprosy control beginning from 2006 to 2010. Even though currently there are still nine countries which have yet to achieve the goal of eliminating leprosy, it is considered to be accomplished in the near future. It is expected that the number of newly detected cases are expected to decline in the future by early detection, accurate diagnosis, early treatment, preventing disabilities and by further continuing the leprosy control activities.

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The epidemiological situation of leprosy is reported by the health division of each country to WHO. The reported data is collected by WHO and is immediately run on the Weekly Epidemiological Record. On this latest edition, data from the beginning of 2005 was reported. According to this edition, the importance of the fact that nine countries in the world has yet to achieve the WHO goal of eliminating leprosy, early detection and constantly providing drugs free of charge, and continuing to carry out the leprosy control activities within the general health services.

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The time of the settlement of leprosy in Mexico is uncertain, however recent studies pointed out that leprosy was probably brought by Asian's migration at about 12, 000 years ago and not by the Europeans conquerors during XVI and XVII centuries. Registration of leprosy has been done since the colonial era and the disease was considered as a public health problem until the year 2004 in Mexico when the incidence was achieved to be less than 1per 10, 000 as defined by the world health organization (WHO). Although the national epidemiological parameters like prevalence show the leprosy are controlled well, there are still 49 prefectures with higher prevalence in Mexico. In addition, the incidence in last 10 years has not been stably reduced, in other words the infection cycle has not been interrupted. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the careful epidemiological monitoring, and to increase the search and follow-up of new cases and their contacts in order to eliminate leprosy in this country.

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