To all international residents living in Sapporo:
Welcome to the SEMI Sapporo website.
Our organization was formed in April 2009. Since then we have provided interpreters for more than 9,000 people in the fields of medicine and health care in Sapporo, Japan. We remain resolute in our mission to support the international community by providing trained medical interpreters who support medical care for those who need it.
As of January 7th, 2019, we took ａ big step forward and became an official Non-Profit Organization (NPO). We are now NPO SEMI Sapporo, formerly known as Sapporo English Medical Interpreters’ Group (SEMI).
On March 31, 2020, the International Society of Clinical Medicine (ICM) certified 76 medical interpreters across Japan. We’re proud to announce that eight members from SEMI Sapporo applied for the certification, and all were certified.
Since then,
・three more members on March 1,2021
・four more members on March 1,2022
・two more members on April 1,2023
were certified by ICM.
We started this website so that you are aware of the resources available to you. Although there is plenty of information available in Sapporo, most of it is available only in Japanese. You may be wondering why your baby has to take an exam (e.g., newborn screening, exam for neuroblastoma, newborn hearing test, etc.) at a certain time, or why you need to sign a form whose purpose you do not completely understand. Therefore, we would like to make sure that you have access to the information available on the internet.
Unfortunately, SEMI Sapporo only has a limited number of interpreters available, and many of you may already be managing without the help of an interpreter. We will provide links so that you can access useful information in English that can otherwise be very difficult to find.
In addition, we have also translated some Sapporo city webpages and documents for your convenience. English-Japanese versions of the following documents have been made:
– Vaccination questionnaires
– Parental Report Confirming Child’s Recovery from an Infectious Disease
– Doctor’s Consent to Return to Daycare
These English-Japanese versions are officially recognized for use in Sapporo. Please print these documents and bring them to the appropriate hospital or clinic as necessary.
We hope this website will help you better understand the Japanese health care system, as well as the important medical exams and routine procedures that are available in Japan. Ultimately, we hope that this website will guide you in the right direction when you are seeking help navigating the Japanese health care system.
Enjoy life in Sapporo!
NPO SEMI Sapporo
Please let us know in advance if you would like to link to our website from your own website.
Announcement for the Grant
SEMI Sapporo is supported by SECOMA Company, Ltd. through its “Support Hot Fund” (April 2024 to March 2025).
We are also subsidized by the Nakajima Foundation and supported by JASSO.
THANK YOU!
We are supported by many people from all over the world who provide proofreading voluntarily :
Naomi, in USA, Kaiser Permanente medical centers,
Adrian Hooker, in Australia,
Teresa Sem, in USA,
Mark Holloway, New Zealander in Sapporo, Health Hokkaido,
Michael Mielke, Canadian in Sapporo, Little Tree English School,
Peng Pheng Tan, Malaysian in Sapporo, Hokkaido University,
J.B. Hardwick,
Richard Jones, American in Sapporo,
Marika Ohtani, Briton in Niseko,
Thomas Domingo, American in Muroran,
Brian Nielsen, Australian, Hokkai Shoka University,
Jessica Wakefield, in USA,
David Thiedemann, in Niigata,
Daniel Beaudette, in Canada,
Marla K. Otani, American in Sapporo,
HIKARU Nomura, Japanese in Sapporo,
Sulimon Sattari, American in Sapporo,Hokkaido University,
Dylan Rose, Canadian living in Sapporo,
Russell Miller, visiting scientist, University of Tokyo,
Marlaina McElheny, in USA,
CA Edington, American, Permanent Resident in Sapporo
Sari Hirata, Japanese, Hokkaido International School
Krista Coy, in Toubetsu,
Thank you very much for your time and input. We couldn’t do it without you! (Please let us know if your personal information needs updating.).
Special thanks to our medical English consultant:
Deborah S. (Harris-Love) Fujimaki BSW, BSN, RN, CCR