"After the Second World War, Japanese science and industry achieved rapid growth with guidance from the United States and Europe, and in the future, Japan should also contribute." – In 1980, Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira proposed the concept of a support program that would "invite doctors from developing nations to Japan for training in order to contribute to raising the level of medical care in their native countries."
Subsequently, on the occasion of talks between Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki and Prime Minister Mahathir of Malaysia, the JCMT (Japanese Council for Medical Training) was launched in 1982, with Toranomon Hospital as its host medical institution.
Although public funding for the JCMT projected ended in 2007, the project has continued up to the present with financial support by several Corporate Sponsors that agree with its purposes.
Many Alumni of the JCMT program are currently serving in important positions in government agencies and core hospitals in their own countries, and have a good understanding of the JCMT as persons who are knowledgeable about Japan and have friendly feelings toward this country.
History of the JCMT
| 1980 | Japan's Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira proposed the concept of a support program for the developing countries, under which medical professionals from Southeast Asia and other areas would be invited to Japan to receive medical training, contributing to an improved level of medical care in those countries. |
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| 1981 | During a round of visits to the ASEAN nations, Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki announced the concept of a training program for doctors, under which foreign physicians would be receive training in Japan. Study toward actual implementation began, led by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (former MITI). |
| 1982 | The JCMT Program was begun with Toranomon Hospital as the host institution for medical training and received its first Fellows in the same year. The JCMT Program was originally a grant-in-aid project of the Japan Keirin Association (JKA; Japan Bicycle Racing Association) under the jurisdiction of MITI. |
| 1983 | Four doctors from Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore completed the training program, becoming the 1st graduates (Fellows) of the JCMT Program. |
| 1995 | The cumulative total of JCMT Fellows reached 100. |
| 2002 | At a summit meeting between Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi and Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir, the JCMT Program was mentioned in the agenda as one beneficial program of support for the developing countries by Japan. |
| 2006 | The cumulative total of JCMT Fellows reached 200. |
| 2008 | Funding by the JKA was discontinued. However, the JCMT Program was able to continue operating at the same level without interruption with sponsorship from several private corporations which share the purposes and philosophy of the JCMT project. |
| 2012 | The JCMT celebrated its 30th Anniversary since the program was begun in 1982. |
| 2019 | Toranomon Hospital has relocated to a new building. A plaque introducing the JCMT project has been installed at the entrance of the new hospital. |
| 2020 | Due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic,in-person fellowship program was forced to be suspended for a period of two years until 2021. |
| 2022 | Resuming the acceptance of fellows. The cumulative total of JCMT Fellows reached 300. |