Pick Up a Snack, Get Screened for Cancer

Some Lawson convenience stores in Kyoto, Japan, now provide screenings for cancer at mobile medical centers.

March 01, 2016

KYOTO, Japan – Along with coffee and lunch, residents of Kyoto, Japan, can now receive cancer screenings at Lawson convenience stores. In an effort to prod residents to take better care of their health, the Kyoto Prefecture is launching mobile medical centers at the stores to screen for breast, cervix, colon, lung and stomach cancer, RocketNews24 reports.

Beginning in fiscal 2016, the mobile medical centers will be either inside the stores or in its parking lot to test residents for what it labeled as the “big five cancers.” At the start, the state will offer the service at a select number of stores this spring, before making a decision on whether to expand the program to all 300 Lawson locations.

Lawson has provided space for medical services in the past, such as at 16 locations in Amagasaki, Hyogo, which sent medical checkup vans periodically to the stores to offer exams and regular checkups. In 2014, more than 200 residents used the mobile service.

A spokesperson for the mobile medical centers said the location would bring more attention to the service because, “compared to other venues like community centers, this is more conspicuous to the youth and people who don’t regularly get examined. By taking advantage of convenience stores, we want screenings to feel close at hand for those who shop there.”

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