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Japan’s health ministry posted its January 2026 long-term care benefit statistics on April 28, showing care-service costs above ¥1 trillion for the review month, according to the MHLW monthly statistics listing and the ministry’s results summary PDF.
Key developments
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The nationwide number of long-term care service recipients reached 4.8357 million in the January 2026 review, up 1.2% from the same month a year earlier. Preventive care recipients rose faster, reaching 1.0123 million, up 4.8% year on year.
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Care-service cost amounts totaled ¥1.006787 trillion, a 2.5% increase from January 2025. Preventive care service costs were ¥28.853 billion, up 6.2% year on year. The ministry defines the cost amount as the sum decided in original review, including insurance benefits, public expenses, and user burden, while excluding municipal reimbursement payments such as some welfare equipment purchases and home renovations.
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Per-recipient costs also increased. The average per recipient was ¥208,200 for care services, up 1.3% from a year earlier, and ¥28,500 for preventive care services, up 1.4%.
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The growth was not uniform across severity levels. Among care-service users, “care level 1” had 1.3093 million recipients, up 2.1%, while “care level 5” declined 1.0% to 548,400. Facility-service recipients totaled 985,600, up 0.5%.
What to watch
The next monthly release will show whether the faster rise in preventive care continues or moderates. The January data show stronger year-on-year growth in preventive recipients and costs than in regular care services, but the headline summary does not explain the drivers behind that gap.
Detailed service-category tables, linked from the ministry’s monthly report page, will be important for separating broad demand growth from shifts between home-based, community-based, and facility services. Separate MHLW statistical updates around the same period also cover medical facilities, population movement, and wages, but the care-benefit report itself does not announce a policy change.
Sources
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