TOKYO -- As Japan enjoys booming inbound tourism, hospitals are seeing more cases of nonpayment by foreign travelers who fall ill but lack insurance coverage, prompting an alarmed government to consider a response.
According to a 2016 survey by the health ministry, around 80% of 1,710 responding institutions said they provided outpatient treatment to foreigners, while about 60% offered in-hospital care. Among those, 35% said they had nonpayment issues over the previous year.
