The important things, kept short.

Personal data

• The request form on this site collects your email address, the country where you live, the topic, whether the consultation is about you or a family member (and, if so, the country where that person lives), and — optionally — an age range, a few notes in your own words, and how you heard about us. We use them only to contact you about scheduling and to prepare the consultation.
• Health-related answers (topic and notes) are optional, and are used only for scheduling and preparing your consultation.
• What you type is sent directly to the surgeon’s email inbox through FormSubmit (formsubmit.co), a form-to-email forwarding service, and is not stored on this website. Apart from that delivery and cases required by law, we do not share your information with third parties.
• Consultations are held over WhatsApp video, or over Google Meet or WeChat if you prefer. Connecting means we will see the account details you join from (display name, phone number or ID, or the name on your Google account). These calls are carried by those companies and handled under their terms and the laws that apply to them — they are outside our control. WeChat in particular is subject to Chinese law and is not as private as the alternatives; if that matters to you, choose WhatsApp or Google Meet.
• If you would like your information deleted, let us know through the request form and we will delete it.
• No tracking cookies are used. We use Cloudflare Web Analytics, a cookie-free, privacy-preserving service that counts page views and countries in aggregate; it does not identify you.
• Who this service is for. Japan Medical Bridge is offered to people living outside Japan, in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. We do not accept requests from residents of the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom or mainland China, and we do not provide this service to people living in Japan. If you are asking about a family member, please tell us where you live and where they live; we may be unable to help depending on either.
• Age. Requests must be made by an adult aged 18 or over. If the consultation concerns a minor, a parent or legal guardian makes the request and joins the call.

About consultations

• Consultations and content are general information about how medicine is typically practiced in Japan — not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment recommendation for any individual.
• This service is provided from Japan by a physician licensed in Japan. It is informational only and does not constitute the practice of medicine in your country or state.
• Diagnosis, prescriptions, and treatment decisions require an examination — please consult a licensed physician where you live.
• Neither use of this site nor any consultation (including video calls) creates a doctor–patient relationship.
• Consultations are spoken conversations; we discuss your situation in generalized terms. You are welcome to take your own notes, and the aim is to leave you with questions worth taking to the doctor who examines you.
• To protect your privacy, please do not send medical records, images, or test results. A general topic on the request form is fine — during the call, we discuss everything in general terms.
• In an emergency, do not rely on this site — call your local emergency services.

Commercial disclosure (Specified Commercial Transactions Act, Japan)

• Service provider: Shunsuke Hatakenaka (sole proprietor)
• Address and telephone number: disclosed without delay upon request via the consultation form
• Price: first consultation US$200 (60 minutes) · follow-up US$100 (30 minutes). No fees beyond the listed prices except your own communication costs.
• Payment method and timing: by credit or debit card, or by Wise invoice if you prefer a bank transfer; payers within Japan may also use a domestic bank transfer. Payment is due after your appointment time is confirmed and before the consultation. No payment is due at the time of your request — submissions through the form are treated as advance consultation requests. The payment link arrives in the same email that confirms your appointment time, so you will know exactly what to expect before anything is charged.
• Service delivery: a video consultation at the time scheduled after your request
• Cancellation and refunds: nothing is charged until your appointment is confirmed and an invoice is issued. If you cancel 24 hours or more before the appointment, you receive a full refund. If you cancel within 24 hours, we first offer one reschedule at no extra charge; if rescheduling is not possible, 50% is refunded to cover the reserved time. If Dr. Hatakenaka needs to cancel or reschedule, or if the consultation cannot take place for any reason on our side, you receive a full refund. Refunds are returned by the same method used for payment.

Other

• Content is provided as is, without warranty; practice varies between institutions and individual cases.
• These notices are governed by the laws of Japan.
• The latest version always appears on this page.