Just being a "Doctor" in AUS doesn't mean you can practice medicine in Japan.

This cannot be a surprise to you.

There are certifications you will require. You will need a Japanese medical license - and to get one you will need to take examinations.

You don`t have to graduate from a Japanese university, but you will need to be able to take the examinations for certification in Japan... And obviously have the knowledge required. A fair chunk of it isn`t simply medical information, but also country specific information. Laws and policies, etc. You will need to have studied these before taking the test.

Of course, all of this is going to be in Japanese - and you will need to have a high level of fluency and familiarity with medical terminology in Japanese.

Going to a Japanese university is just the easiest route.

In all my years here I have never seen or even heard of a foreign doctor in Hokkaido. I believe there may be a few in big cities like Tokyo and Osaka with their own practices who almost solely see foreign patients. As I said earlier I doubt very much that any public hospital would hire a foreign doctor. I just don't think it ever happens. Anyone ever seen a foreign doctor in a hospital here?
As Nyororin points out you would need to pass exams for a licence to practice medicine in Japan which would mean you'd require fluency in reading and writing as well as speaking. Not an easy task to get that fluent if you're also studying medicine! ;)

There are some in government though who want to make it easier for foreign doctors to practice here. Still knowing the beauracracy here give it another 10-15 years or so before anything actually changes :p

Minister wants top-level foreign doctors to provide medical care in Japan

Actually, yes, but not from an English speaking country and not in the normal parts of the hospital. (Think intensive care, lab work, etc)

I do think they are extremely uncommon - but more because they need to be licensed in Japan via the Japanese tests than because they are being blocked because they`re foreign.

You would need to be a Japanese citizen to get any sort of public sector job so that's why I singled out public hospitals. Private hospitals and clinics may take on foreign doctors especially if they have a large foreign local population. Other than that I can't see many being hired out there. Of course there'd also be very few non Japanese doctors in this world who are also fluent in Japanese!

I think this is probably the case more than anything else.
There are some places in Japan that would kill to hire doctors - any doctors - because of painful shortages... But there just aren`t many foreign doctors with the necessary qualifications available (Japanese fluency, Japanese certification). And the very few that are out there aren`t going to take a base doctor`s salary at a regular hospital where they`re really needed. They`re going to open a private clinic specializing in something where being foreign brings them prestige or extra business.

The foreign doctors I did encounter were in Red Cross hospitals - there may be some kind of thing done by Red Cross to train doctors for work in Japan. I`m not really sure.

So which is it? :confused:

My suggestion to you is to forget about Japan and do something YOU want to do. Who cares if it's a field which isn't in demand in Japan? Choosing a career path to tailor fit a purpose other than yourself is certainly a path to failure or at least boredom.

Yeah, why doctor? They are in high demand, and you can actually work in public hospitals without citizenship, but you have to get the Japanese license and you have to be fluent in Japanese. Becoming a doctor and becoming fluent in Japanese takes years of hard work by themselves. Doing them together? I guess it's possible but you have to be super smart to pull it off. AND being bilingual isn't much of an advantage as a doctor. Your Japanese however will always be a handicap.

Media sounds like a better field for bilinguals. Even if the jobs are harder to come by, it's still easier than becoming a doctor in Japan, imo.

Thanks for reply all.

Well, I Have an opportunity to study MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) ...

The thing is, currently Im studying media. after that I can chooose to continue studying medicine. Dont worry, its confusing but it can work in australia. they dont care what bachelor you have as long as you have a bachelor, you can continue studying medicine.

So....I guess you are right about Japanese medical terminology...damn that part really scared me....

But going to Uni in Japan would be extremely hard,I was thinking of taking a Japanese Major here so I would be fluent....(3 years of uni) however I gues they wont teach me japanese medical terminology lol

Actually, if that's the case, you would not even qualify for "taking" the Japanese license exam.

You have to meet the prerequisites listed here in order to apply for the license.
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/topics/2005/10/tp1005-1.html
You have to have 4500 hours of "specialized education", and in terms of Japanese skills, you need to have 日本語能力試験1級.