Breast cancer screening system in Japan and the study setting
breast cancer
BREAST CANCER
The Japanese guidelines for breast cancer screening recommend mammography every 2 years for women over 40 years old, because the highest incidence rate in Japan is in women aged 45–49 years.This study was conducted in 25 large supermarket stores owned by a single retail company in western Japan. Approximately 80% of the store employees are part‐time and 20% full‐time. Employment insurance, health insurance, and pension benefits were the same regardless of employment status. The retail company and its health insurance society had been encouraging breast cancer screening for employees by providing subsidies of up to 5000 yen (approximately $40) per year. This covered the cost of breast cancer screening in most of the municipalities and medical providers.