A live Fukuoka Now current affairs conversation
Join Fukuoka Now for the sixth Kyushu Roundtable, an in-person discussion forum bringing international residents together to explore the issues shaping Fukuoka and the wider Kyushu region. The first five Roundtables have brought together a diverse mix of international and Japanese residents for lively and thoughtful discussions about life, work, growth, tourism, talent, and the future of the region.
On September 25, we continue the series with another evening of Kyushu news, moderated discussion, audience participation, and conversation shaped by the people in the room. This month’s featured discussion turns to something almost everyone living in Japan eventually has to navigate:
Healthcare in Kyushu: What Works, What Doesn’t?
Japan offers broad access to medical care, but international residents can experience the healthcare system very differently. Language is one issue, but it is far from the only one. How do you find the right doctor or hospital? How easy is it to understand a diagnosis or treatment? What happens when expectations about testing, medication, communication, preventative care, or the doctor-patient relationship differ from what you are used to?
And from the other side, what do international residents sometimes misunderstand about how the Japanese healthcare system works? This Roundtable will look at both the strengths and the friction points — not simply what is difficult, but also what works well and what could work better.
If you live or work in Kyushu, come prepared to hear different perspectives and share your own.
Event Details
Date: Friday, September 25, 2026
Time: 18:30–20:00 (Doors open 18:00)
Location: CIC Fukuoka, Tenjin
Language: English
Admission: Free (registration required)
Register now: Seating is limited to 45 participants.
How the Roundtable Works
Each Kyushu Roundtable follows a simple structure designed to move from context into discussion and audience participation. The Roundtable is not a lecture. It is a shared conversation.
- Part 1 — Kyushu News Flash
A quick roundup of recent news shaping Fukuoka and Kyushu, with short reactions from our guest commentators followed by perspectives from the audience. - Part 2 — The Main Story
Our guest commentators introduce different perspectives on the evening’s central theme before the discussion opens to the room. For this edition, Dr. Ronald Schlemper will begin with an extended perspective drawing on his decades of medical experience in both Europe and Japan. - Part 3 — Voices from the Room
This is where the Roundtable becomes a true roundtable. Audience members are invited to ask questions, challenge assumptions, share experiences, and bring new perspectives into the discussion. - Part 4 — After the Roundtable
For those who want to continue the conversation, we’ll gather after the event at a casual food and drink spot in the same building.
Guest Commentators
Dr. Ronald Schlemper
Specialist in Internal Medicine
Medical Director, International Clinic Terukuni
Originally from the Netherlands, Dr. Ronald Schlemper has practiced medicine in both Europe and Japan and has worked as a physician in Fukuoka for decades. After medical training and nine years of clinical work in general and university hospitals in the Netherlands, he continued his career in Japan, including work at Fukuoka University Hospital and other Japanese medical institutions. For 22 years he operated International Clinic Tojinmachi, serving both Japanese and international patients. He now runs International Clinic Terukuni, where he provides in-person and online medical care by appointment, while also working part-time at Fukuoka Sanno Hospital.
His experience gives him an unusual perspective on the differences between Japanese and European medical practice, the challenges international patients encounter in Japan, and the realities of working both inside and outside Japan’s health insurance system.
Additional Commentator
To be announced
Moderated by Nick Szasz
CEO & Publisher, Fukuoka Now
This Month’s Main Story
Healthcare in Kyushu: What Works, What Doesn’t?
For many international residents, using healthcare in Japan can be straightforward, until it isn’t. Finding a clinic may be easy, but finding the right clinic can be harder. Language can create problems, but so can unfamiliar procedures, expectations around diagnosis and treatment, insurance rules, referrals, communication styles, and different ideas about the role of the doctor and the patient.
For this Roundtable, we want to look beyond the simple question of whether Japanese healthcare is “good” or “bad.”
- Where does the system work particularly well?
- Where do international residents struggle?
- Which difficulties are problems with the system itself — and which come from different expectations or unfamiliarity with how healthcare in Japan works?
- How different are Japanese and overseas approaches to diagnosis, testing, medication, preventative care, informed consent, second opinions, and communication between doctors and patients?
- And ultimately, what could make the healthcare experience better for international residents living in Kyushu?
Dr. Ronald Schlemper will open the discussion with his perspective after decades of working as a physician on both sides of the cultural divide. Then we turn to the room.
How have you experienced healthcare in Japan?
Who Should Attend
The Roundtable works best when participants are comfortable contributing to a thoughtful English-language discussion.
- International residents living or working in Kyushu
- Japanese residents interested in international perspectives
- People who have experience navigating healthcare in Japan
- People interested in how Japan’s healthcare system works for an increasingly international population
- Anyone who values informed, respectful conversation and is willing to contribute their own perspective
You do not need specialist knowledge of healthcare. Personal experience and curiosity are enough.
Previous Roundtables
The first five Kyushu Roundtables have explored issues ranging from global talent and changing life in Fukuoka to tourism, growth, and regional development. Different topics, but the principle remains the same: informed discussion, different perspectives, and audience participation at the heart of the event.
Watch the video archive from Kyushu Roundtable #5:
Register
Seating is limited to 45 participants. Advance registration is required. Register here!