Inmates are provided with the necessary food and drink, taking account of their physical condition, health, age, work and other factors. They are also lent or supplied clothes, bedding, daily requisites, and others necessary for daily life.
  The daily cost for dishes other than staple food per adult inmate is %423.95 in FY 2003.
  Special consideration is given to food for inmates who are sick, pregnant, or engaging in exhausting work etc. Different meals are served for inmates who need particular meals for religious reasons or due to significant differences in dietary habits.
  As for clothes and bedding, careful consideration is taken to heat insulation, hygiene, appearance, etc., while inmates are allowed to buy some daily requisites at their own expense or receive them from the outside.
  Penal institutions have medical departments or sections in accordance with their size and the nature of operation. Doctors and other medical specialists are assigned to these departments and sections and engaged in work related to medical treatment and hygiene in the institutions. There are some penal institutions that specialize in medical treatment, namely Hachioji, Okazaki, Osaka and Kitakyushu Prisons. Furthermore, 6 prisons (Sapporo, Miyagi, Fuchu, Nagoya, Hiroshima and Fukuoka Prisons) are designated as medical priority institutions, where medical equipment and specialists are intensively assigned.
  As of April 1, 2003, the staff of medical specialists in penal institutions consisted of 226 doctors, 35 pharmacists, 18 nutritionists, 20 radiologists, 16 clinical hygiene inspectors, and 252 nurses (Source: Data by Correction Bureau, Ministry of Justice).