TOKYO, April 13 (Xinhua) -- An emergency plan was approved Wednesday by an advisory panel to Japan's health minister to increase the government-controlled costs for dental treatment using silver fillings containing Russian-produced palladium.
The increased costs which will be passed on to Japanese consumers requiring the dental fillings and are covered by Japan's National Health Insurance system, are a result of prices for palladium surging due to the situation in Ukraine and the fact that Russia is Japan's second-largest supplier of the rare metal.
Dentists' payments for using silver fillings are reviewed four times a year as the cost of the rare metal fluctuates with market moves, which are currently extremely volatile.
With the government concerned over a lack of supply of palladium amid surging costs, Japan's health ministry said it will increase the amount again by around 8 percent from the 3,149 yen (25 U.S. dollars) per gram price that was set in April.
In 2021, the government said that 34.5 percent of its palladium was imported from Russia, compared to 48.8 percent that came from South Africa, with informed sources saying that rare metal's price increase predates the Ukraine situation.
On March 31, the Japanese government outlined its intention to secure a number of strategic commodities and energy resources such as crude oil and natural liquified gas that can be procured from countries that can produce them stably.
The government named palladium among its seven strategic commodities that it is looking to other countries to supply. Enditem
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