Introducing a new medical school system into Japan.

Entering into medical schools is the most difficult yet most prestigious among all of the undergraduate university departments. Most of the medical students in Japan come from the Mathematics/Physicochemical Science track, while a few are from the Humanities/Social Science track. However, to meet the needs of the Japanese society, medical students need to learn core competencies, such as professionalism, humanism, and ethics. Issues with regard to these competencies among medical students have recently become a widespread serious concern to medical educators and the general public in Japan. In this article, we suggest that the introduction of a new medical school system, by reforming the admission criteria, can be an effective measure for meeting the current needs of the Japanese society.