US MD getting licensed in Japan

Hello, I'm a 4th year medical student in the US and will get my MD degree in 2010. I'm curious about how, if at all, American MD's can get licensed to practice medicine in Japan. If you have similar experiences or know something about this process, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks!

It's possible. First you have to pass a Japanese language test. Next you have to pass the Japanese version of the USMLE in Japanese. Basically you have to know Japanese as well as native speakers including all the kanji and know all the Japanese medical terminologies for diseases, drugs etc. It would basically take years of extra studying. The average salary is also alot lower than in the US. Most Japanese doctors dream of working in the US. Residency training in the USA is also much better and more structured than in Japan.

That's very helpful to know, Dr. Riviera! I don't think the language barrier will be a problem for me with a few years of studying. You sound very knowledgeable about this process. Are you a US medical school graduate who practices in Japan?

About some of the specifics you said, I still have some questions if you wouldn't mind... And forgive me if my questions sound ignorant. What's the average salary for a Japanese physician? And what's so attractive in the US that Japanese physicians would want to work here? What's your experience working in Japan?

Thanks again for your response. I really appreciate it.

I think that to say that "most Japanese doctors dream of working in the US" is exaggerating things quite a lot. Some do, perhaps. Most are quite happy to be practicing here in Japan, I would say.

Don't underestimate the amount of time it will take to bring your Japanese up to that level- you are looking at several years of intensive study of just the language. The several thousand kanji you will need to be able to read, and possibly also write for most of them, will not come quickly.

There are very few non-Japanese doctors practicing here, for that exact reason- only a handful.

I appreciate your comment about the perceived difficulty of the Japanese language for a westerner. I'm not underestimating the process of mastering any language. But I really don't think that's the main issue for me.

Besides language barriers, would you be so kind as to provide more information about medicine in Japan, the process of getting licensed or practicing US MD's in Japan? Thank you.