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Colonoscopy · Japan

Colonoscopy in Japan: what it costs and how it compares with waiting at home

Prices checked 27 October 2026 (Taipei time)

Short answer

We found 2 published prices for a colonoscopy in Japan, from ¥165,000, or about £787 before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £1,890 to £3,510 at the providers we checked.

Published price
¥165,000about £787 · about €940 · about C$1,470 · about $1,050
Price is for
one diagnostic or screening colonoscopy, with sedation and biopsies shown separately where the clinic prices them separately
Where
Osaka
Providers
1 (TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre))
Soonest booking
Not published: ask in writing
NHS England wait
30.9% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)

Published colonoscopy prices in Japan

Every row is a price the provider publishes itself, read on the date shown. We copy what the price includes and what it leaves out; where the provider does not say, the row says “not stated”. We do not use prices from brokers or medical-travel agencies.

Colonoscopy prices in Japan
ProviderPublished priceWhat the price is forSource
TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre)Osaka¥165,000about £787 · €940 · C$1,470 · $1,050ColonoscopySedation and biopsy included (as listed).TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre)read 27 October 2026
TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre)Osaka¥192,500about £918 · €1,100 · C$1,720 · $1,230Polypectomy (add-on)Add-on item as listed.Not comparableTIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre)read 27 October 2026

Prices are copied as published, in the provider's currency. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 and are rounded. A provider can change a price at any time: ask for a written quote.

Japanese check-up centres price for people living in Japan. NCGM in Tokyo says that people without Japanese health insurance or who do not speak Japanese pay “twice the displayed amount” for its health checks, must book through a registered medical-interpreter agency, and get results in 3 to 4 weeks (NCGM, in Japanese). For other hospital care it bills uninsured patients ¥30 per insurance point (NCGM FAQ). Tokyo Midtown Clinic's price list is silent on visitors, so ask before booking.

Hospitals in Japan that offer a colonoscopy to international patients

Each runs its own service for patients from abroad. The booking time on each card is the hospital's own words; where it publishes none, ask for a date in writing before you book flights.

Compared with waiting or paying at home

The official waiting figure and the self-pay price in each home country, next to the Japan price converted to that currency. The Japan figure does not include flights, a hotel or time off work.

Waiting times and self-pay prices at home for colonoscopy
Where you liveOfficial waitPay at homeHere, converted
UK30.9% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026£1,890 to £3,510£787before flights and hotel
CanadaNo official figure foundNot verifiedC$1,470before flights and hotel
IrelandAbout 30% waiting over 6 monthsIreland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026Not verified€940before flights and hotel
USNo national figure$1,6402021 hospital data or a dental school$1,050before flights and hotel

Waits are the latest official statistics; each country measures them differently, so read the label. Home prices are published self-pay prices; for the US they are 2021 hospital medians or a dental school's estimate.

Compare with your wait and price at home

Pick where you live to see the Japan price and how soon hospitals say they can see you, next to your wait and your price at home.

Open the calculator

How it works for a visitor

  1. Ask for a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for the colonoscopy and ask for an itemised price, the date, and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
  2. Before you goSend the clinic your medicines list, especially blood thinners, diabetes medicines and iron tablets.
  3. Before you goPlan two nights at least: the preparation day keeps you close to a toilet.
  4. Before you goDo not fly on the day of the test if you have had sedation or a polyp removed; ask the clinic how long to wait.
  5. LanguageJapanese; some hospitals require a registered medical interpreter for foreign patients.
  6. Entry rulesCheck the official advice for your passport before booking: UK citizens (FCDO entry requirements), Canadian citizens (travel.gc.ca), US citizens (State Department, choose the country), Irish citizens (DFA travel advice, choose the country).
  7. After you returnGive your doctor the report, photos and lab results. Ask the clinic to email the lab result if it arrives after you leave.
  8. After you returnKnow who to call if you have bleeding or tummy pain after you fly home.

Can your public system pay for it?

NHS and HSE schemes do not reach Japan. The NHS S2 route covers state treatment in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the HSE schemes cover the EU, EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Treatment in Japan is paid by you or by a private insurer who agrees in advance. NHS S2 route, HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme.

When not to travel for a colonoscopy

  • Bleeding from the bottom, black stools, a change in bowel habit with weight loss, or a positive home screening test: these belong on an urgent pathway at home first. In England, ask your GP about the urgent suspected-cancer referral.
  • People with serious heart, lung or kidney disease, or on blood thinners, unless the clinic has reviewed their medicines in advance.
  • Travelling alone with no one to collect you after sedation. Clinics usually require an escort.

How to compare colonoscopy quotes

A colonoscopy is a camera test of the large bowel. The day before, you drink a laxative preparation to empty the bowel. Most clinics offer sedation. Small growths (polyps) can be removed during the test and sent to a lab, which can add a fee and a few days for the result.

  • Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line.
  • Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
  • Some clinics only sell a colonoscopy as part of a health-check package.
  • Ask whether the bowel preparation is supplied and when you must start it.

Providers on this page

We list providers because they publish a price, not because we recommend them. No clinic pays to be listed, and we have not visited any of them.

Related comparisons

Colonoscopy in Japan: questions

How much does a colonoscopy cost in Japan?

The published prices we found range from ¥165,000, about £787 or $1,050. They come from TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre). Each covers something slightly different, so read what is included before comparing.

Is a colonoscopy in Japan cheaper than paying privately in the UK?

Before travel, the prices here work out at about £787, against about £1,890 to £3,510 at the UK providers we checked. Travel adds a flight and a hotel on top; the calculator on the home page adds a rough estimate.

Will the NHS or HSE pay for a colonoscopy in Japan?

No. The NHS S2 route and the HSE schemes cover planned treatment in Europe only. Japan is outside them, so you pay yourself or through a private insurer that agrees in advance.

How many days should I plan in Japan?

2 days: bowel preparation the day before, the test the next day, and someone to take you back to your hotel after sedation. That is our planning estimate, not medical advice: the clinic sets the schedule, and you should ask it for one in writing.

What should I check before booking a colonoscopy in Japan?

Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line. Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.

Sources

  1. International patients. TIMC Osaka (Tokushukai check-up centre). Read 27 October 2026.
  2. Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
  3. Treatment Abroad Scheme. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
  4. 外国籍の方の人間ドック受診について (health checks for foreign nationals). National Center for Global Health and Medicine (JIHS) Hospital, Tokyo. Read 26 October 2026.
  5. International Health Care Center FAQ. National Center for Global Health and Medicine (JIHS) Hospital, Tokyo. Read 26 October 2026.
  6. Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.