To all international residents living in Sapporo:
Welcome to our website!
SEMI Sapporo is a group of people dedicated to providing medical English interpreting services to Sapporo’s international community. Please see About Us to learn more about our group and our supporters. If you are considering using our services, please go to Our Services.
We created this website to help you become aware of the medical resources available to you in Sapporo, as much of the medical information provided in Sapporo is available only in Japanese. For example, you may be wondering why your baby needs to undergo a certain examination, or why you need to sign a particular form, the purpose for which isn’t entirely clear. You may also feel uncomfortable that all the important documents are in Japanese.
Our goal is to ease some of that stress by making certain documents used in medical institutions available in English and accessible online. We also aim to provide information in English about healthcare in Sapporo and Japan－especially about things that may be unfamiliar to you as an international resident－to help ease any confusion or anxiety that you may feel during your life here in Sapporo.
Useful documents such as English Vaccination Questionnaires can be found here.
A guide providing all you need to know about visiting hospitals in Japan can be found here.
Information related to maternal checkups can be found here.
Information on Benefits, Allowances, and Certificates for Sapporo citizens can be found here.
News!!
We are pleased to announce that SEMI Sapporo has been awarded the 2025 Soroptimist Japan Foundation Social Volunteer Award!
This award recognizes individuals or organizations that engage in ongoing, community-based volunteer activities in line with the mission of the Soroptimist Foundation, serving with sincerity and responding to local needs. Since 2009, SEMI Sapporo has provided interpreters for approximately 11,000 cases. We are truly honored that our efforts to support international residents access healthcare have been recognized.
Inspired by this award, we will continue working to ensure that international residents can receive medical care with confidence and peace of mind through our interpreter services.