The world population has hit 6.7 billion and the number of people worldwide estimated to have been infected with the HIV virus has reached 35 million. About 25 million of these people live on the African continent. On the other hand, Japan is the only major developed country where the number of infected people is increasing. In order to halt the increase in HIV infections, preventative measures such as HIV/AIDS screening are important, but lack of information and psychological barriers keeps many people from being tested.
The 9th Talk Salon featured Dr. Shigemasa Sawada, a Professor of Nihon University Medical School, who was a medical resident in San Francisco at the time the HIV virus was discovered. He presented the information about the HIV virus, AIDS symptoms, and the outbreak of the disease in an easy-to-understand manner. Dr. Sawada has been active at promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in Japan, and has spoken at various concerts with Teruo Nakamura, the New York jazz bassist who has been organizing HIV/AIDS awareness concerts and events for 12 years with the Red Shoes Foundation.
Also participating at today’s Talk Salon was Kohei Yamada, a young singer and former JOCV (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer) spoke about his experiences working in community development in Malawi against HIV/AIDS. Yamada produced a chart-topping song about HIV/AIDS and prevention in Malawi, called “Ndimakukonda.” The song went on to be nominated for Malawi version of grammy awards. The music promotion video that goes along with Ndimakukonda, featuring a young Malawi couple that has to deal with the results of an HIV test, was shown during the Talk Salon. Haruko Kasei, from JICA’s Global Plaza, coordinated the discussion.
Tokyo’s Chiyoda Public Health Center, in special cooperation with Nihon University Nerima Hikarigaoka Hospital, is conducting free, anonymous HIV testing twice monthly. (see here) They introduced participants to the HIV screening process as it is done at the Chiyoda Public Health Center, and participants are able to visit the Chiyoda Public Health Center to obtain test results on September 19, 9-9:30am.
The World Bank PIC – JICA Global Plaza Talk Salon Series has typically invited 2 guests during each session to discuss an issue relevant both to Japanese domestic concerns and international ones, concerning both the public and private sectors. In the past, it has brought together participants from the public and private sectors to present and discuss unique examples of their cooperation with NGOs. For more information and reports on past Talk Salons, see here.
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