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 side dishes per adult inmate was¥421.50in FY2005.
Special consideration is given to food for inmates who are sick,pregnant,or engaging in exhausting work etc.Consideration is also given to particular meals for inmates with religious rule or a different dietary habit.
  As for clothes and bedding,careful consideration is given regarding 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 nature.Doctors and other medical specialists are assigned to these departments and sections.There are some penal institutions specialized for medical treatment,namely Hachioji,Okazaki,Osaka and Kitakyushu Prisons.Furthermore,six prisons(Sapporo,Miyagi,Fuchu,Nagoya,Hiroshima and Fukuoka Prisons)are designated as medical priority institutions.In these10institutions,medical equipment and specialists are intensively assigned.
  As of April1,2005,the staff of medical specialists in penal institutions consisted of226doctors,37pharmacists,18nutritionists,20radiologists,16clinical hygiene inspectors,and256nurses,totaling573(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).