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S008-2

Development and Challenge of Board Certification in Japan

Masatoshi Takeda

Aino University, Osaka, Japan

Content: After a long time discussions, the board certification system for psychiatry was finally
launched by Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology (JSPN) in 2006. Then active psychiatrists
who submitted case reports and passed the oral examination were accredited board-certified
psychiatrists (n = 9,748). Those who graduated from medical schools after 2004 were given board
certification of psychiatrists by passing paper and oral examination after completing the three-year
resident program after the two-year initial medical training (n = 762). At present, there are 10,210
board-certified psychiatrists in Japan who are expected to renew their qualification every five years
by earning continued medical education points and by submitting two case reports. The board
certification system for psychiatry is the latest among all 18 core medical specialties in Japan.

On May 7, 2014, the Japanese Medical Specialty Board was newly established composing of 18
academic societies of core medical specialty, and other professional organizations including Japan
Medical Association in order to issue accreditation to each specialty board through the standardized
accreditation system. JSPN has joined the Japan Medical Specialty Board and JSPN certified board
system will be switched into the national board certification issued by Japanese Medical Specialty
Board in 2017.

JSPN is cooperating to improve the training system for psychiatrists by (A) establishing the
group of training institutions, (B) designing the training programs, and by (C) appointing senior
psychiatrists as the educator to the psychiatrists of younger generation.

At this symposium JSPN seeks for advice and opinions about new educational programs and
new certification system for psychiatrists.