HIV-positive individuals and AIDS patients in Japan are still facing social barriers due to stigma and biases that need to be addressed, experts and stakeholders have said.
Sunday marks the 37th World AIDS Day. The deadly disease first emerged four decades ago, but recent technological developments have made it possible to treat the disease and keep infected individuals’ viral levels undetectable and untransmittable, with the United Nations aiming to end the epidemic by 2030.
In 2023, the number of new HIV-positive cases in Japan increased for the first time in seven years. There were a total of 669 new cases last year, along with 291 new AIDS patients, according to the health ministry.