Frequently Asked Questions
For Hospitals

MLI is a Nagasaki-based company connecting Japanese and Chinese healthcare. The key difference is that physicians work in-house and our operations are grounded in first-hand knowledge of both medical systems. Rather than simply sending patients, we translate and assess medical records beforehand so your hospital can decide on acceptance with full information.

Through three main channels: referrals from our network of doctors, hospitals and business owners in China; information published on Chinese social media such as WeChat and Xiaohongshu; and contacts made at the medical exchange meetings and product presentations we hold across China. Affluent Chinese-speaking patients do not use Google — they find hospitals through WeChat and personal referrals — so a Japanese website alone does not reach them. MLI covers that gap.

Self-pay care in Japan is priced by each institution; in practice 10–30 yen per insurance point is common. MLI discusses pricing that fits your hospital's policy. Price transparency is one of the things Chinese-speaking patients value most, and a clear quote directly improves conversion and trust.

Patients pay in advance before travelling, and appointment dates are confirmed only after payment is received. Our agreement states that clinical decisions rest with the hospital and that additional treatment for complications is charged at cost, and patients receive this explanation in Chinese and give consent in advance. Because most disputes stem from language misunderstandings, we place great weight on the quality of medical interpreting.

MLI's medical interpreting is delivered and supervised by staff with medical knowledge and by physicians. We focus on conveying diagnoses, test values, treatment plans and risk explanations without loss of meaning, and we translate consent forms and patient information. Besides in-person interpreting, we offer remote interpreting by video or phone and document-only translation.

You receive the patient's reports, test results and imaging translated into Japanese, together with a preliminary assessment by MLI's physicians (chief complaint, history, requested treatment, prior treatment in China). This lets you judge acceptance and a likely treatment approach in advance and get straight to the point at the first visit. A pre-visit discussion between your doctors and ours can be arranged if useful.

No new multilingual desk or Chinese-speaking staff. MLI handles interpreting, paperwork and payment coordination. We ask only that you set your self-pay prices for foreign patients, hold an appointment slot and provide care as usual. For institutions accepting foreign patients for the first time, we help map out the in-hospital flow.

No. Guarantees for the Medical Stay Visa are provided by guarantor organisations registered with Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, never by the hospital. MLI works with a registered organisation to prepare the patient's documents and asks the hospital only for minimal paperwork such as confirmation of the planned visit. For patients who can visit on a short-stay basis, visa matters are handled entirely on the patient's side.

We publish your hospital's strengths on Xiaohongshu, WeChat official accounts and similar platforms in a form that reaches Chinese-speaking patients, and MLI takes and triages the enquiries. China regulates medical advertising strictly — claims of efficacy, comparisons and the use of case photos are all restricted — so MLI produces content within those rules, protecting your account and reputation. We also observe Japan's medical advertising guidelines.

Patient referral, Chinese social media management, support for overseas conferences and medical exchange, and interpreting-only requests are each quoted individually according to scope. Tell us about your hospital's situation and goals and we will propose a fit.