Is a higher price a sign of better treatment?

There is no basis for saying so. Our score measures disclosure, not outcomes, and price is not one of the 19 checks. A clinic can charge more and publish less.

Should I compare prices between clinics?

Only after you have confirmed both are on the government register and are offering the same thing. A lower price on a treatment that sits outside the regenerative medicine law entirely — exosomes, for instance — is not a comparison.

What it costs, and how to get a real total

The advertised figure is almost never the amount you will pay. Not because clinics are hiding something, but because a course of treatment has more moving parts than a single line item — and because more than half of them do not publish a total at all.

No insurance covers this. None.

Japanese public health insurance does not cover these treatments — not for Japanese residents, and not for you. Japan’s high-cost medical expense benefit does not apply either. Most travel policies and most private health plans exclude elective treatment received abroad.

Plan on paying the full amount yourself, at the exchange rate on the day you settle. Ask your own insurer in writing before you travel, not after you return.

Only about 45% publish a price you can add up

We opened the website of every clinic in the register and checked whether it published prices you could total. About 45% did. That means in more than half of cases you cannot know the number until you make contact.

That is not proof a clinic is bad. It does mean asking is your job, and that the ask should be in writing.

What gets left out of the first quote

Cell collection and culture processing. How many infusions or injections are in one course. First consultation and follow-up fees. Pre-treatment testing. Storage fees if you keep cells for a later session. Consumption tax.

Then the non-medical side: flights for a companion as well as yourself, accommodation during the observation period, and interpretation. If the protocol requires several trips, all of this multiplies.

The question that gets you the real number

Ask for an itemised written quote, then ask one more question: “Beyond this list, is there anything else I will be billed for?” Keep the answer in writing.

Settle payment method, accepted cards and deposit timing before you book flights — not after.

Check a clinic on the register

Common questions

Is a higher price a sign of better treatment?: There is no basis for saying so. Our score measures disclosure, not outcomes, and price is not one of the 19 checks. A clinic can charge more and publish less.
Should I compare prices between clinics?: Only after you have confirmed both are on the government register and are offering the same thing. A lower price on a treatment that sits outside the regenerative medicine law entirely — exosomes, for instance — is not a comparison.

Source: our own review of the websites of institutions listed in the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare register of regenerative medicine providers.

This page is a summary for visitors from outside Japan. The Japanese pages are the authoritative version and are kept more current. All figures come from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare register and from our own review of clinic websites.