The medical checkup that Japanese company employees undergo every year

Companies are required by law to have their employees undergo annual medical checkups.

Preparing for the medical checkup

Before the day of the medical checkup, we need to fill out a medical questionnaire to describe our medical history, recent physical condition, and lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise.

To see the condition of our intestines, we have to submit to a stool test.

You cannot eat food after 9:00 p.m. the night before the test. On the day of the test, you may drink only water until two hours before the test.

The list of medical checkup items.

Here's the menu for the day's physical examination. This is a general example, as the contents may vary depending on the local government or company.

You can also apply for some options not listed here for a fee.

1. Urinalysis

2. Height, weight, and abdominalcircumference measurements

If the value is significantly different from last year's value, you will be asked the cause of the difference.

If you are fatter than the standard, you will be instructed on your lifestyle.😅

Some people are so concerned about this that they start moderating about a month in advance.🏃

3. Hearing test

4. Vision test

5. Blood pressure measurement

6. Blood test

7. X-rays

8. EKG test

9. Barium or gastroscopy

Barium sulfate is a contrast agent that shows up on X-rays and is used to help see abnormalities in the stomach.

The tests are very hard to do. It's hard to drink a glass of bad Valium, and then you have to spin around on a tilting bed while holding back a burp.😭

I found a website that summarizes what is said during the actual test, so please try to imagine it.

https://limchallenge.com/english-for-radiographer-uppergistudies-x-rays/

You can choose to have a gastroscopy instead of a barium. This is also a painful test as the fiberscope camera is passed through the mouth or nose.

Every year, I wonder which one I should choose.

10. Stethoscope and interview

You can talk to a doctor and discuss your health concerns.

After medical checkup

After the medical checkup, I was given a laxative to expel the barium and I was done.

The laxative will make your stomach rumble all day long.

The following month, you will receive the results of the test and those who had problems will be advised to retest. Those whose weight exceeded the standard will be suggested to undergo a program of guidance.

A colleague of mine took this course and lost a healthy 10 pounds. He says the guidance on improving his eating habits was good.

Medical checkups lead to early detection of diseases.

People who do not work for a company cannot take this medical checkup, but there is an alternative way to get a medical checkup at a lower cost, subsidized by the local government.

A friend of mine was saved from cancer by having this checkup because it allowed her to detect it early and treat it quickly.😉