The Institute for Global Health Policy Research (iGHP) was founded in October 2016 as a branch institution of the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) located in Tokyo, Japan.

In May 2016, Japan hosted the G7 summit in Ise-Shima. At the Summit, the G7 leaders reached an agreement to commit to taking concrete actions for further advancement in global health. On its agenda, the Japanese G7 presidency committed to placing a strong emphasis on its health care system. The plan, specifically, is to reconstruct the existing global health architecture, thus enabling us to strengthen and better organize the management of potential disease outbreaks as well as life-threatening public health emergencies.

Japan has long been a leader and advocate in highlighting the importance of a resilient and sustainable health care system, one component of which is the attainment of universal health coverage (UHC). The founding of the iGHP is one such example of Japan’s active contribution. The mission and primary reason for the establishment of the iGHP is to function as Japan’s principal think-tank for global health policy.

The iGHP aims to build a platform upon which all public, private, and academic sectors, both domestic and international, will be able to collaborate with research institutions across the world and contribute to advancement in the field of global health policy. It also assumes to function as one of the most prominent national academic research institutions, providing the next generation of researchers and scholars with educational opportunities to learn and work on overseas projects. This will be done with an eye towards publishing the fruits of their studies and making this information easily accessible online. As part of the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, the iGHP will be committed to promoting the health and well-being of people at the community, national, regional, and global levels.