September 10, 2026 — An aging population burdening dated facility infrastructure. A declining birthrate fueling workforce shortages. Financial constraints slowing healthcare facility improvements. If these problems sound familiar, you’re not alone — Japan’s healthcare sector faces them, too. How Japan’s healthcare facilities managers are navigating these challenges is the subject of a session during the upcoming International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) World Congress.
From October 17-20, 2026, the IFHE World Congress will unite global leaders in healthcare facility design, construction, engineering, operations, and real estate management for meaningful international collaboration in New Orleans. The event is hosted by the Association of Medical Facility Professionals (AMFP), the U.S. representative to IFHE, in partnership with EmeraldX and co-located event alongside the Healthcare Design (HCD) Conference + Expo.
“Healthcare Facilities for the Future: Lessons from Japan” will feature insight from Shiro Nitanai, a director and fellow of the Japan Facility Management Association (JFMA), visiting professor at the University of Tsukuba and Toyo University, and outside director of ITOKI Corporation; and Sae Mori, certified facility manager and chairman of the JFMA Healthcare FM Research Subcommittee. Yoshihisa Hirayama, CEO of HVAC manufacturer PS Company Ltd., will serve as moderator.
As Nitanai and Mori explain, the Japanese government has set a new healthcare vision for 2040 to deal with the aging population. Based on the philosophy of “care at home, hospital when needed,” Japan is working to develop a system that can more effectively handle a growing number of emergency cases, even with fewer staff. The goal is to help seniors live safely at home or in nursing facilities by making emergency care available quickly when needed. To accomplish this, regional groups are meeting to determine how to have all hospitals within their region work together as a single “virtual hospital.” Each facility will serve a specific need.
Japan has also revised its medical fee system to incentivize early intervention through strategic “pre or post‑admission transfers.” To limit long‑term occupancy of specialized beds, and promote a more efficient patient flow, non‑critical patients initially triaged at high‑tech acute care centers are now transferred to general acute or geriatric hospitals either before or shortly after admission.
Nitanai and Mori point out that these shifts have resulted in new challenges that facilities have proven ready to address. For example, the shift has strained ambulance services already facing capacity issues. In response, a small but growing number of hospitals have begun deploying their own ambulances and patient transport services, with positive results.
Staff shortages are encouraging hospitals to share more resources, such as medical equipment and support services like food preparation and sterilization. Real‑time bed availability is more effectively directing resource use. As Nitanai and Mori explain, facility managers are shifting their focus from running their own hospital to thinking about how to best use regional resources.
During the IFHE World Congress, this session will highlight examples of how JFMA award-winning hospitals are creating a model for this new regional vision.
Registration for the IFHE World Congress is now open. To register, and to learn more about scheduled educational sessions, visit AMFP.
