About the editors
Our editors and editorial policy
Health Jobs Journal is unhurried reading for healthcare workers deciding where to work in Japan. It is written by the editorial team of Cura (クーラ), a service for choosing a workplace through visits and trial shifts.
Registered Nurses (看護師), Licensed Practical Nurses (准看護師) and nursing assistants; physical, occupational and speech-language-hearing therapists; clinical laboratory technologists, radiological technologists and clinical engineers; pharmacists; dental hygienists and dental assistants; medical office staff; dietitians. For people working in Japanese healthcare, we write what is useful to know when choosing the next workplace, based on public materials.
A job posting shows only a small part of a workplace. That is why our articles end by suggesting you go and see it for yourself. But we never write that a visit guarantees things will work out, because that has not been shown.
Editorial policy
- 01
Every number has a source
The figures in our articles come from materials published by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the National Tax Agency, the Japan Pension Service, the Japanese Nursing Association, professional associations and similar bodies. We give the title, publisher and year in the text and at the end of each article. We use private-sector surveys only when we have confirmed the terms for citing them.
- 02
Every rule has a “from when”
For tax, social insurance and licensing rules, we give the date a change takes effect or the tax year it applies to. If something was only planned when we wrote about it, we say “planned.”
- 03
Correlation is not causation
We don’t write causal claims that haven’t been studied, such as “visit first and you’ll stay longer.” We keep what research has confirmed separate from what the editors suggest.
- 04
When we don’t know, we say so
If we couldn’t confirm something in the sources, we write “unconfirmed” or “no data found.” We don’t fill the gaps with guesses.
- 05
No fixed ideas about who “suits” a job
Our notes on who each type of workplace may suit are the editors’ general take. In the end, we hope you will go and see for yourself, and decide.
Before you rely on an article
The English edition is a translation of our Japanese articles for English speakers living and working in Japan. It covers Japan’s systems as they are; the numbers, sources and caveats are the same as in the Japanese. Where a Japanese term matters for paperwork or job postings, we give it in parentheses.
Our articles are based on materials we could confirm when they were published or updated. Rules and figures can change. When you need to make a specific decision, such as tax, social insurance or licensing procedures, check the latest guidance from your employer, the tax office, the pension office, your municipality or your school.
When we find an error in an article, we check it, correct it and add the update date to the article.