On February 14, 2023, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) released the "Criteria for the Acceptance of Medium- to Long-term Hospitalization of Persons with Severe Spinal Cord Injury."

The MLIT implements the Automobile Accident Compensation Program based on the Act to Secure Compensation for Automobile Accidents (Act No. 97 of 1955), which provides nursing care fees for persons with severe permanent disabilities due to automobile accidents through the National Agency for Automobile Safety and Victims' Aid (NASVA), and establishes and operates medical care facilities for those with persistent disturbances of consciousness.

In July 2021, the "Report of the Study Group on Future Measures for the Relief of Victims of Automobile Accidents" pointed out the need for rehabilitation for those with severe permanent disabilities due to spinal cord injuries (SCI). In response to the report, in FY2022, the MLIT held the "Study Group on the Improvement of the Acceptance Conditions of Persons with Severe Spinal Cord Injuries for Medium- to Long-term Hospitalization" and other meetings to discuss support measures necessary to improve the rehabilitation environment for persons with severe SCI due to automobile accidents to ensure that they have adequate opportunities for maintenance rehabilitation for chronic conditions in the early convalescent phase. Those deliberations in the study group have created results in the setting of the criteria.

The MLIT will launch the "Improvement Program for the Acceptance Environment of Severe SCI Patients " in FY2023 as a model project based on the criteria. After approximately two years, the MLIT will verify the criteria for the acceptance environment (criteria for admission and discharge, medical care system, nursing system, and such) to be applied to designated hospitals.

NASVA is the project's implementing agency and will have two hospitals in eastern Japan and two in western Japan. It plans to publicly advertise four beds per hospital, with a total of 16 beds.

See below for more information:
https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/jidosha02_hh_000552.html