May 7, 2006: Japanese Civil Society Develops a Shadow Report in preparation for UNGASS+5

Japan’s movement is speeding up as UNGASS+5 approaches. The Government of Japan prepared a Country Report and submitted it to UNAIDS in February. After March, Japanese civil society including a network of Japanese NGOs prepared and submitted a recommendationsto the Japanese government regarding UNGASS+5 . Furthermore, Japanese NGOs working against HIV/AIDS started to put together a Shadow Report in the beginning of April, and completed a Japanese version at the end of April. An English version was also created by early May.

The Country Report created by the government is a mere 4 page document, while the Shadow Report prepared by civil society was not only longer, but was more comprehensive, covering everything from civil society’s understanding of the current prevalence of HIV to problems with Japan’s domestic and international response to HIV/AIDS. The main points of the Shadow Report are as follows:

(1) Japan is at the stage of low prevalence; however, as prevalence is expanding among men who have sex with men, Japan is approaching the stage of concentrated epidemic.

(2) Japan’s HIV/AIDS response lacks an inter-ministerial political will, and there is no organization which brings together and consolidates the efforts of various sectors effectively, as seen in national AIDS committees which many countries have established.

(3) While access to treatment is improving, lack of information and fear of stigma and discrimination prevents access to testing. It has been reported that of all people living with HIV/AIDS, only 20% are aware of their status. A chronic lack of financial and human resources allocated to the HIV/AIDS response has resulted in such insufficiency.

(4) In the realm of international cooperation, the past approach of providing instruments and building capacities of medical professionals has given way to supporting communities, which is worthy of praise. However, the shift remains insufficient. Moreover, most of the HIV/AIDS-related programs have been carried out in sub-Sahara and the Caribbean, and not enough is being done in other parts of the world.

The Shadow Report is available here.