Investigation of the Current Situation of Medical Education in Japan Based on the Results of Accreditation Based on Global Standards

The Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education (JACME) is conducting an evaluation of medical education programs in Japan. A total of 27 institutions were evaluated by JACME. However, only the reports of each institution are available, without any summarized data. This study investigated the current situation of Japanese medical education programs, including their advantages and disadvantages. A total of 27 reports were summarized. Most reports showed that area 3 (Assessment of Students) and area 7 (Program Evaluation) were the weakest points, since many institutions partly fulfilled the standards of these areas. The same applies to some sub-areas of area 2 (Educational Programme) and area 6 (Educational Resources). In contrast, almost all institutions fulfilled both standards in area 8 (Governance and Administration). As a limitation, this study is based on the results of reports made by JACME, which only describe the results of sub-areas and not those of each standard. More detailed information is needed to investigate the aspects of Japanese medical education.