SYPHILIS HEALTH CAMPAIGN IN JAPAN

SYPHILIS HEALTH CAMPAIGN IN JAPAN

Introduction

In 2018, Japan carried out a health campaign which featured anime hero Serena Tsukino. The health campaign was carried out to curb the rising cases of syphilis in Japan. As a result, the campaign saw a 22% increase in the number of people treated for syphilis compared to 2017. The health campaign led to 5,530 individuals being treated for syphilis related issues. The anime hero was used in the campaign as a fictitious character to create a new fight against sexually transmitted diseases in the large Asian continent. Nevertheless, the campaign was structured relative to the country’s culture in terms of public relations. Japan has embraced a strong traditional culture which has hindered the development of the US style of public relations. Therefore, the health campaign is a clear reflection of Japan’s culture regarding their public relation.

Why is the campaign necessary?

The health campaign carried out in Japan was necessary to increase awareness of the rapid rise of syphilis cases in the country. Thus, the campaign was essential to educate young women against the dangers posed by unprotected sex (Johnson, 2013). Japan feared that the current rate of infection to young women between 20 and 30 years was alarming. The campaign was launched to help avert the high number of infected individuals in the country. As such, the anime icon was enlisted to increase awareness among young women due to the detrimental risks posed by STD’s. In addition, the campaign was essential to encourage the young generation in Japan to practice healthy sex life (Ryall, 2018). As a result, Japan has made great strides in addressing the disaster to promote a healthy nation in future.

Moreover, the health campaign was carried out to promote the Japanese culture towards fitness practices. Japan adheres to their traditional customs and believes regarding health which is different from the western perspective. Japan utilizes introspection techniques to comprehend an individual mental and emotional processes, hence the need to undertake the campaign. The campaign aimed at educating young women on the dire impacts of STD’s (Insights, 2019). Also, the campaign was in line with Japan’s universal care system. Japan has a universal healthcare system which spearheads to provide equal access to health services. Hence, the campaign provided 156,000 leaflets that provided key statistics and facts regarding the spread of syphilis (Batyko, 2012). The leaflets also provided information on means to access counselling and treatment to ailing individuals. The campaign in conjunction with the ministry of health also distributed 60,000 condoms with the Sailor Moon Winking’s image.

Language

The health campaign utilized superhero Sailor Moon to communicate their message on the urgency to address the rising cases of syphilis. As such, the campaign utilized a fictitious language through the use of mass media to reach a large number of audiences (Ryall, 2018). The fictitious language was used due to the young generation preference of technological developments with great professionalism ideal. Besides, the health campaign worked through a language gap to ensure that the messages reached to every woman despite their academic and literacy levels in Japan.  The Japanese language used in the promotional phase ensured that the message reached individual in the country with the aim of increasing awareness. So, the strategic communication language ensured that the campaign achieved set objectives to reduce syphilis cases in Japan. Hence, the magical health campaign spearheaded to provide sex education required to curb the spread of HIV and STI’s (Johnson, 2013).

Messaging

Messaging during the health campaign proved vital in raising awareness of the need to curb the spread of syphilis in Japan. Specific messages on the symptoms and effects of syphilis were used during the entire campaign to stress the importance of universal health coverage in the country. A high rate of disease spread was experienced in Tokyo, which compelled the campaign to design specific messages that prompted the victims to seek medical attention. Therefore, the campaign provided 156,000 leaflets having the same message and statistics, which helped raise awareness in terms of public relations (Ryall, 2018). Messaging helped women suffering from syphilis access treatment and counselling services. As such, messaging helped achieve inclusivity needed to foster public relations despite claims of stigmatization. Lots of information was provided on different platforms to increase societal sensitization on the matter.

History of the health campaign issue

Such health campaigns in Japan have been carried out in the past with the initiatives seeming to fall on deaf ears. For instance, a health campaign was undertaken in 2010, with 621 cases being reported in Japan. However, the messages provided don not seem to produce desirable outcomes. By 2015, the number of persons with syphilis had risen to 2,697 with current projections showing that the number would exceed 5,000 by 2021 (Ryall, 2018). 30% of the cases have been reported in Tokyo due to high susceptibility among the city residents. The high number of syphilis cases has prompted the city authority to undertake preventive measures ahead Olympics games in 2020 (Ryall, 2018). Over the years, medical professionals have developed vaccines to curb the spread of treponema pallidum bacteria. In 2010, antibiotics were developed in Japan to treat body inflammations caused by the bacteria in the body.

The health campaign against the spread of STDs was officially was launched in 2016 though previous initiatives did not articulate the issue entirely. In 2017, Anime hero joined the campaign as a protagonist with an aim to curb syphilis spread in Japan. The ministry of health postulated that Anime being a fictional hero would lure a large number of people into adopting healthy sex life to reduce syphilis prevalence (Johnson, 2013). However, despite the government’s efforts syphilis cases have been on the rise since 2010, which is a worrying trend in the millennial generation. Nevertheless, over the years, the government has been capable of treating syphilis victims with 5,534 people treated between first January and 17^th December 2017.

Since 2010, globalization has played a key role in improving the impact of such health campaigns despite numerous setbacks (Pang & Guindon, 2014). Globalization has significantly improved the viability of health campaigns against the spread of STDs in developed countries like Japan (Pang & Guindon, 2014). The campaign on STDs helped curb challenges posed by globalization toward the fight against its spread. For instance, the campaign used Anime to help address internationalization of risks posed by such health campaigns carried out in the past. Similarly, the STD health campaign carried out by fictitious Anime helped achieve diversity due to its linguistic and cultural diversity. The campaign ensured it incorporated distinct messages for each linguistic and cultural group. As such, the campaign helped address key issues affecting people from different societal settings to promote inclusivity (Gray et al., 2012). As such, Japan’s diversity helped promote the effectiveness of the campaign towards reducing syphilis cases in the country.

Reflection of the STD campaign towards Japan’s culture

The need for safe sex outlines Japan’s values and beliefs based on their culture on the need to stop the spread of STDs. The Japanese culture adheres to vintage STD to exemplify the historical development of their culture always to practice safe sex (Johnson, 2013). As such, the campaign portrays that cultural developments in Japan articulate the use of patriotic messages to curb the spread of STDs like syphilis. The campaign made through Anime portrays how the Japanese society makes an intersection between their culture and government initiatives to stop the spread of STDs. The campaign’s advocacy to stop unprotected sex, leading to syphilis represents ideas postulated by Japanese culture to foster public relations (Gray et al., 2012). The excellent public relations exemplified in the campaign forms the basis of managing information spread, thus safeguarding their culture.

Insights developed by Hofstede forms the basis to discuss the health campaign’s implication towards the Japanese culture. The STD health campaign developed a good organizational culture which helped influence STD victims in Japan to seek for medical attention. As such, the campaign utilized power distance to develop campaign messages to the japan people based on their culture (Batyko, 2012). The japan culture is conservative in nature hence required the use of sensitive messages to increase awareness on the spread of STDs, unlike the westerners. Besides, the health campaign utilizes the uncertainty of avoidance index relative to the Japanese culture. The culture requires its people always to be prepared to unforeseen circumstances such as the spread of STDs. Hence, long-term orientation is developed between Japanese culture and health campaigns against the spread of STDs.

The above insight by Hofstede is projected to promote social transformation in Japan’s culture on sex to help prevent the spread of syphilis in the country. In the long-term, the achieved social transformation will initiate nation-building and its capability to curb the spread of syphilis in the country (McMichael, 2013). Nation-building would help develop other health-related campaigns to help build a healthy nation and curb the spread of syphilis among young people (Chan et al., 2010). Japan’s culture seeks to develop a cohesive society free from sex-related calamities which are against their norms and values. The government and social stakeholders carried out the health campaign to help achieve social changes to the spread of syphilis relative to their norms and values. However, stigmatization has led to drawbacks while fighting against syphilis spread due to strict cultural guidelines.

Hofstede’s insight on intercultural management provides an analysis basis to exemplify the effectiveness of the syphilis health campaign towards Japanese culture and public relations. The health campaign helps outline the fact that Japan has a positive connotation when compared to other countries like the US (Chongsuvivatwong et al., 2011). During the campaign, Anime was used as fictitious glue needed to hold the society together. Hofstede stipulates that such initiatives help develop a feeling of dependency and closeness to all the societal members. The campaign was carried out to address the rising concern in order to promote future sustainability needed to promote cultural interactions. The social media proved to be an effective tool in spreading health campaign messages in a culturally sensitive manner (Otake, 2019). Thus, the syphilis health campaign proved industrious due to the utilization of social media platforms like Twitter evident in the high number of treated victims.

Furthermore, Hofstede’s consumer culture is utilized to analyze the cultural practices of the consumers being the target audience for the syphilis health campaign. In this case, syphilis victims are the consumer of the health campaign (Labonté, Mohindra & Schrecker, 2011). The distribution of thousands of condoms by the ministry of health in 2016, bearing the image of Sailor Moon outline the consumer culture. The campaign targeted young women who were more to contract syphilis in Japan. The image was used to outline that the Japanese culture values its citizens hence the need to increase the overall sensitization. The Japanese culture views the girl child as indebted as compared to their male counterparts (Labonté, Mohindra & Schrecker, 2011). The sense of indebtedness has for ages been experienced in Japan as a cultural practice hence the need for the campaign to have adhered to the same.

Conclusion

Syphilis health campaign was carried out in Japan to curb the high rate of infection mostly to young women between 20 and 30 years. Despite numerous undertakings by the Anime campaign, it failed to curb the increase in the rate of individuals having contracted syphilis. The campaign was necessary to raise awareness on the STD infections in Japan. Moreover, the health campaign adhered to the Japanese culture through initiatives such as globalization and diversity to justify public relations in the country. The history of syphilis health campaign illustrates that numerous setbacks have been met since 2010. Despite the challenges, the campaign has been able to treat an increased number of victims compared to previous years. Finally, initiatives undertaken during the campaign reflects on the Japanese culture relative to insights provided by Hofstede.

References

Pang, T., & Guindon, G. E. (2014). Globalization and risks to health. EMBO reports 5(S1), S11-S16.

Johnson, J. A. (2013). Safe Sex as Patriotic Ideograph in Wartime STD Prevention Campaigns.

Ryall, J. (2018). Sailor Moon can beat super villains, but not Japan’s syphilis problem. Retrieved 28 January 2020, from https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/2127331/japanese-health-campaign-featuring-anime-hero-sailor-moon-fails

Batyko, R. J. (2012). The impact of corporate culture on public relations in Japan: A case study examining Tokyo Electric Power and Toyota. Public Relations Journal, 6(3), 1-19.

Insights, H. (2019). What are the different types of Organisational Culture?. Retrieved 28 January 2020, from https://news.hofstede-insights.com/news/what-are-the-different-types-of-organisational-culture

Gray, L., MacDonald, C., Mackie, B., Paton, D., Johnston, D., & Baker, M. G. (2012). Community responses to communication campaigns for influenza A (H1N1): a focus group study. BMC Public Health, 12(1), 205.

Chan, K., Prendergast, G., Grønhøj, A., & Bech-Larsen, T. (2010). The role of socializing agents in communicating healthy eating to adolescents: A cross-cultural study. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 23(1), 59-74.

McMichael, A. J. (2013). Globalization, climate change, and human health. New England Journal of Medicine, 368(14), 1335-1343.

Chongsuvivatwong, V., Phua, K. H., Yap, M. T., Pocock, N. S., Hashim, J. H., Chhem, R., … & Lopez, A. D. (2011). Health and healthcare systems in southeast Asia: diversity and transitions. The Lancet, 377(9763), 429-437.

Otake, T. (2019). Japan’s dramatic surge in syphilis cases, with particularly high incidence in Tokyo, puzzles experts | The Japan Times. Retrieved 28 January 2020, from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/01/29/reference/japans-dramatic-surge-syphilis-cases-particularly-high-incidence-tokyo-puzzles-experts/#.XjBUkGgzb4Z