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About JPTA Message from President Dept. of International Affairs Annual Scientific Congress Japanese

About JPTA

History

Membership Statistics

Scope of Activities

Future Directions

Secretariat

About JPTA

History

The Japanese Physical Therapy Association (JPTA) was formed on July 17, 1966, by 110 licensed physical therapists. It was approved as an incorporated association by the predecessor of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in January 1972 and became a member of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) in 1974. In 1990 it was recognized by the Science Council of Japan as an academic research organization.
More than 30 years have passed since the association's foundation, and physical therapists today are involved in a wide range of occupational areas. The association meets a variety of social needs and is proud to go about its work as the only academic and professional association performing physical therapy in Japan.

Membership Statistics

The association had 43,704 members as of September 9, 2006 — the equivalent of one per 3,000 Japanese citizens. We plan to enhance the association more and more in the future, so we are confident that we will be able to respond even more effectively to treatment requests.

Distribution of Members (As of March 2006)
No. of Members
No. of facilities
Health care facilities hospitals
26,348
5,246
clinics
2,552
1,340
Intermediate facilities for the elderly
3,451
2,263
Welfare facilities nursing homes for the elderly
201
173
rehabiliation and support facilities for the physically disabled
236
174
child welfare facilities
589
193
Education and research facilities
1,526
302
Government-run facilities
362
283
Fitness industry
102
55
Others home-based
3,070
3,070
self-owned or operated businesses
88
70
overseas
44
44
Total
39,023
13,243

Distribution of PTs by age
Ages
Male
Female
21-25
3,308
4,983
26-30
5,375
6,427
31-35
4,731
3,214
36-40
3,060
1,813
41-45
2,127
1,021
46-50
1,086
276
51-55
619
161
56-60
344
86
61-65
154
19
66-70
124
9
over 71
77
9
Total
21,005
18,018

Average Age
Male
Female
34.4
30
Distribution of PTs
No. of PT per workplace
No. of facilities
1
4,111
2
1,752
3
1,089
4
752
5
591
6
425
7
294
8
248
9
155
10
140
11-15
366
16-20
111
21-30
65
over 31
30
home-based
3,070
overseas
44
Total
13,243

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Scope of Activities

1. Academic Activities

    • Hosting academic conferences (national, regional and prefectural conferences)
    • Hosting workshops, training sessions and seminars
    • Publishing “Rigaku ryohogaku” (in Japanese) (8 times per year), and an English language journal “Journal of the Japanese Physical Therapy Association” (once per year)
    • Lifelong learning system (education for newcomers)
    • Publishing white papers and other academic papers
    • Hosting seminars in specialized disciplines
    • World Confederation for Physical Therapy activities (international exchange)

2. Civic Activities

    • Assisting with public-interest activities for health and welfare at the prefectural level
    • International activities such as dispatching overseas volunteers to places like Southeast Asia and Africa
    • Collaboration and exchanges with related organizations
    • Promoting exchange and friendship among members

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Future Directions

1. Enhancement of Postgraduate Education

In terms of postgraduate education, in addition to our extensive workshops and training sessions, we have established an institutionalized system of lifelong learning, thereby beginning a systematic program of education. Our education for newcomers now involves taking 18 credits over the three years following graduation.

2. Working in Communities and in the Home

With the onset of the aging society, we expect to be actively engaged in such areas as nursing homes for the elderly and disabled, the promotion of good health in frail elderly citizens, in-home rehabilitation for the elderly, and the improvement and maintenance of good health—including the prevention of so-called “lifestyle-related diseases”—among local citizens.

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Secretariat

3—8—5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 151-0051, JAPAN

TEL 81-3-5414-7911
FAX 81-3-5414-7913

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All contents © 2006 Japanese Physical Therapy Association. All Rights Reserved.