Innovation and technological management of the Japanese e-health and telehealth industries

Japan is now one of the most advanced economies in the field of telehealth and telecare in terms of number of manufactured devices. Based on field research on those systems, we present the characteristics and issues of Japanese telehealth and telecare technology. The telecare system in effect today in Japan can be broadly categorized into three groups in terms of aim, nature of medical information, equipment, and type of network as follows: (a) telecare; (b) telehealth; and (c) community health and welfare management type. We focus on each one in detail from the viewpoint of technology. The analysis contains the following comparison. Japanese household electric appliance manufacturers such as Panasonic, NEC, Fujitsu, and Sanyo sell remote monitoring devices, and more than 8,100 are now in use. The largest share is occupied by ´Urana´ invented and manufactured by Nasa corporation, a venture company. Well-established companies also manufacture other monitoring terminals: Sanyo sells ´Medicom´, while NEC ´Sukoyaka Mate´. They have not been able to occupy the major share so far, even though they can afford to make a substantial investment in R&D activities. We technologically compare these terminals and discuss the differences among attitudes toward innovation and technological management. Finally, the future development of the terminals in the age of broadband is examined.