Clinical support and education in muscle disease—Experiences from Japan and Asian regions—

The author has been continuously engaged in diagnostic support for muscle disease, specialist education, and international medical support, mainly in Asian regions. In this article, experiences in muscle disease diagnosis in Japan and medical support activities in Asia are shared, and conditions necessary for the development of muscle disease care are considered based on these experiences. Muscle diseases are ultra-rare conditions among rare diseases and require a high level of expertise as well as centralized diagnostic systems for accurate diagnosis and evaluation of disease pathology. The development of muscle disease care depends on several key factors, including the presence of core specialists, subspecialization with effective collaborative frameworks, an adequate number of medical professionals, financial support, economic development, and social stability. Japan is characterized by an environment in which these conditions are largely fulfilled. From the author's perspective, this environment provides an important opportunity to pursue activities that go beyond routine clinical practice, including diagnostic support, education, and international collaboration, thereby contributing to the advancement of muscle disease care.