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About Japanese Physical Therapy Association
History
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 40 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 59,586 members as of April 1, 2010 - the equivalent of one per 2,080 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.
| '66 | '69 | '74 | '79 | '84 | '89 | '94 | '99 | '04 | '09 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of candidates passing national examination |
183 | 888 | 1,726 | 2,517 | 4,526 | 8,967 | 14,185 | 23,873 | 41,243 | 73,862 |
| membership | 110 | 502 | 1,127 | 1,808 | 3,689 | 7,599 | 12,258 | 20,731 | 35,172 | 59,586 |
| Distribution of Members (As of April 2010) | No. of Members | No. of Facilities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care facilities | hospitals | 39,038 | 5,894 |
| clinics | 4,720 | 1,921 | |
| Intermediate facilities for the elderly | 5,624 | 3,024 | |
| Welfare facilities | nursing homes for the elderly | 483 | 406 |
| rehabiliation and support facilities for the physically disabled |
292 | 207 | |
| child welfare facilities | 642 | 209 | |
| Education and research facilities | 2,120 | 393 | |
| Government-run facilities | 358 | 274 | |
| Fitness industry | 160 | 91 | |
| Others | home-based | 4,904 | 4,904 |
| self-owned or operated businesses | 77 | 62 | |
| overseas | 19 | - | |
| others | 1,149 | 66 | |
| Distribution of PTs by age | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ages | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50 | 51-55 | 56-60 | 61-65 | 66-70 | over71 | Total |
| Male | 5,476 | 8,559 | 7,623 | 5,488 | 3,078 | 1,967 | 1,014 | 539 | 240 | 112 | 119 | 34,215 |
| Female | 5,025 | 8,320 | 5,930 | 2,981 | 1,721 | 961 | 244 | 126 | 38 | 14 | 11 | 25,371 |
| Total | 59,586 | |||||||||||
| Average Age | |
|---|---|
| Male | 34.3 |
| Female | 31.7 |
| Distribution of PTs | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of PT per workplace | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |||||||
| No. of facilities | 4,654 | 2,187 | 1,355 | 880 | 624 | 523 | 354 | 287 | 262 | 220 | |||||||
| No. of PT per workplace | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-30 | over31 | home-based | overseas | Total | ||||||||||
| No. of facilities | 612 | 278 | 192 | 100 | 4,904 | 19 | 17,451 | ||||||||||
Scope of Activities
- 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)
- 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
Future Directions
- 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.
- 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.
Secretariat
Japanese Physical Therapy Association
3-8-5 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 151-0051, JAPAN
TEL 81-3-5414-7911
FAX 81-3-5414-7913
