Conclusion
Although a minority of otorhinolaryngologists board-certified by the Japan Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery stably received personal payments from pharmaceutical companies for the reimbursement of lecturing, consulting, and writing between 2016 and 2019, large amounts of payments significantly concentrated on a relatively small number of otorhinolaryngologists. Leading otorhinolaryngologists such as clinical practice guideline authors, society board members, and academic journal editors significantly accepted far larger personal payments than those who were not.