Because they have yet to pass national legislation protecting the chiropractic profession, Japanese DCs are in a similar situation that U.S. DCs faced. We were fortunate enough to be able to pass chiropractic licensure state by state. The DCs in Japan must accomplish this nationally, which has proved to be an extremely difficult task. And in spite of their efforts, Japanese DCs are currently faced with two chiropractic professions.
Chiropractic Chalkboard
There must be a doctor who is a specialist of the motor system. It doesn't yet exist, and particularly it must be a specialist who understands motor dysfunction and not just pathology. Established medicine does not go into understanding dysfunction. And it's getting worse because they (medicine) rely more and more on imaging techniques, which practically all show change in structure.
There is a need for a profession that will develop a focus on the motor system as a whole. If the trend continues, it is quite possible that the chiropractors will do it. It will take another two decades, but the trend is there."
-- Karel Lewit, MD, pioneer in medical manual therapy, professor at Charles University and consultant to the Central Railway Health Institute in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Source: Vertebrovisceral relations: a medical perspective. California Chiropractic Association Journal, March, 1997.