アフターケア

Aftercare is the English source form of アフターケア, and Kotobank's Digital Daijisen defines it first as health management and guidance for people recovering from illness or disability. English aftercare appears as after-care and aftercare; after plus care makes the time relation explicit. Japanese dictionaries also connect it with 後療法 and 後保護, terms used in medical and welfare contexts. Shogakukan Progressive English-Japanese Dictionary also lists recovery-period care, vocational guidance, and post-release guidance. In postwar Japan, アフターケア moved from hospitals, rehabilitation, and correctional guidance into sales and service language. Kotobank's Distribution Terms Dictionary treats it as an active customer strategy after a sale, in contrast with アフターサービス. Beauty clinics, dental offices, tattoo studios, electronics shops, and car dealers can all use the term with related words such as フォロー, メンテナンス, 保証, and カスタマーサポート. Modern Japanese is wider than ordinary English aftercare in many situations. English aftercare often points to post-treatment care, social support after prison, or after-sales service in British usage; Japanese アフターケア can mean any follow-up that prevents trouble after a procedure or purchase. Example: 購入後のアフターケア means support after buying, not medical care.