Who We Are

Migrants’ Neighbor Network & Action, MINNA – Health Project is a healthcare and social think tank specializing in migrants and foreign nationals living in Japan. On this website, migrants and their supporters can find information, support and research on health-related issues.

MINNA’s main activities

Develop models of disseminating information to those in need
Enhance health care access by linking foreigner consultations with health services
Explore approaches to address social determinants of health
Create synergies between initiatives for migrants and other vulnerable populations in Japan and across countries

Our organizations

MINNA is a network comprised of members from the following 4 organizations; the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM), Services for Health in Asian & African Regions (SHARE), Our SDGs Task Force for Foreigners, and the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO). MINNA or みんなmeans “everyone” in Japanese and the four organizations share the same vision to enable equal access to health and social support for all. We collaborate in research, seminars, and information dissemination on topics related to health of migrants in Japan and across the world in accordance to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NCGM
Bureau of International Health Cooperation,
National Center for Global Health and Medicine

The Bureau of International Health Cooperation is a department of the National Center of Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, Japan and provides various kinds of supports in order to improve healthcare in low and middle-income countries. The Bureau aims for the world where all people, without disparity, live healthy lives, under the tag-line of “Care, Commitment and Communication for a Healthier World”, promoting high-quality international cooperation that combines strategy and field implementation.

The Bureau has been assisting these countries in the fields of maternal and child health, infectious disease control, and health system strengthening in order to protect the people from life-threatening diseases. Since founding in 1986, the Bureau has worked as a leading Japanese international cooperation agency in the health sector in cooperation with the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). They dispatch experts to technical cooperation projects in low and middle-income countries, train health personnel domestically and abroad, and conduct health research. In addition, we dispatch medical relief teams in many parts of the world in response to natural disasters and epidemic of communicable diseases.

SHARE
Services for Health in Asian African Regions

SHARE is a non-profit citizen sector organization (NGO) founded in 1983 by physicians, nurses and students with a wish to support, at grass-root level, people around the world in improving their health. It aims to realize a world in which all people can live a healthy life both in mind and in body. It carries out healthcare service programs in Thailand, Cambodia, East Timor, South Africa and Japan to develop human resources and assist people and their communities in protecting their health.

Our SDGs Task Force for Foreigners

Our SDGs Task Force for Foreigners was launched to increase interest in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Japan among academics, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and official development assistance organizations, taking over from Beyond MDGs Japan. It holds seminars in Japan to disseminate information related to the SDGs.

IDE-JETRO
The Institute of Developing Economies

The Institute of Developing Economies (IDE) aims to make intellectual contributions to the world as a leading center of social-science research on developing regions. IDE accumulate locally-grounded knowledge on these areas, clarify the conditions and issues they are facing, and disseminate a better understanding of these areas both domestically and abroad. These activities provide an intellectual foundation to facilitate cooperation between Japan and the international community for addressing development issues.