Market Overview

The treatment at clinics of osteopathic, acupuncture & moxibustion, and massage therapies are positioned as the therapies and treatment services provided by the practitioners having earned national qualifications. Therefore, it is different from medical practices at orthopedic hospitals and medical, osteopathic, and chiropractic treatments provided by the practitioners who passed private-sector qualification systems.

The domestic market size of Judo therapies, acupuncture & moxibustion, and massage therapies by sales at businesses in 2022 has declined slightly to 986,000 million yen, 98.8% of that of the previous year, on account of sluggishness in judo therapy (bonesetters’ clinics) caused by fierce competition with peripheral industries especially the salons with private-sector qualifications and orthopedics. Backed by the increase in patients visiting hospitals due to lift of behavioral restrictions after COVID-19 viruses degraded to class 5 under the infectious disease control act in May 2023, the market in 2023 has risen steadily to 985,000 million yen, 103.0% of the size of the preceding year.

Future Outlook

Clinics that provide Judo therapies, acupuncture & moxibustion, and/or massage therapy are facing severe competition to obtain patients not to mention with an increasing number of new entries, but also with private-sector qualified salons, orthopedics and other peripheral industries. It is considered that the business in the same way and same services may cause failure to continue.
The operational challenges for the clinics of Judo therapies, acupuncture & moxibustion, and/or massage therapy are 1) to take measures against decreasing number of visiting patients who go instead to other competitor clinics or peripheral services, 2) to secure staff by improving the working environment and to train practitioners by creating manuals to provide education, and 3) to respond to ad guidelines by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, regulating ad expressions that can mislead as the medical institutions or efficacity puffs.

Research Outline