*Updated: Speaker information has been added and revised. (October 20, 2025)

Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) and AMR Alliance Japan Japan will host a free session titled “AMR Countermeasures as Regional Health Crisis Management: The Role of Public Health Professionals and Multidisciplinary Collaboration” at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Public Health on Thursday, October 30, 2025.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent global and public health challenge, as explicitly stated in the World Health Organization (WHO)’s “AMR Global Action Plan” and the Japanese government’s “AMR Action Plan 2023-2027.” AMR not only complicates infection treatment in healthcare settings but also profoundly impacts community health management in daily life, posing the risk of a serious health crisis that threatens future healthcare delivery systems. Inappropriate antibiotic use accelerates the emergence of resistant bacteria, putting even advanced medical treatments like surgery and cancer therapy at risk. Particularly in Japan, where the population is rapidly aging, rigorous infection control and appropriate antibiotic use in medical and nursing care facilities become even more critical. Furthermore, it is essential for every community member to develop accurate knowledge regarding antibiotic use and learn to practice infection prevention and proper antibiotic use in daily life as part of AMR countermeasures. For example, in Shizuoka Prefecture, where the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health will be held, a multilayered, community-based AMR control program is currently being developed.
These efforts extend beyond mere infection control within medical institutions. A collaborative framework has been established, centered around the Antibiotic Awareness, Shizuoka (AAS) team, which is a group of multidisciplinary volunteers, and the prefecture’s AMR subcommittee. This framework brings together administrative bodies (the prefecture and public health centers), the clinical sector (medical institutions), the pharmacy sector (hospital pharmacy departments and pharmacists’ associations), medical associations, laboratory services (clinical and public health laboratories), and veterinary associations. They are advancing cross-sectoral initiatives that include supporting clinical practice, raising public awareness and aiding education, and fostering human resource development. Through collaboration with local governments and public health centers, these activities contribute to more concrete and effective AMR measures. We believe this combination of bottom-up activity and collaboration between the administrative and medical sectors serves as an excellent practical model that can be a valuable reference for other regions.

This initiative, grounded in the overall theme of “Building Phase-Free Communities and Health Crisis Management,” positions AMR countermeasures within routine public health activities, educational support for local residents, and awareness campaigns. It aims to establish AMR countermeasures as an integral part of everyday health crisis management. This enables us to explore concrete measures that contribute to building a “phase-free” system capable of protecting the lives and health of local residents not only in times of peace but also during emergencies like pandemics or natural disasters, which can occur at any time.

Our organization held a preliminary Public Health Seminar in July 2025 targeting public health professionals and others professionals from local governments. Under the title “AMR Countermeasures to Protect Community Health: A Public Health Perspective,” the seminar featured presentations from multiple local government and public health center representatives sharing concrete examples of municipal AMR initiatives. These practical examples highlighted the importance of integrating AMR countermeasures into existing programs like maternal and child health, food sanitation, and tuberculosis control, as well as the critical role of multi-sector collaboration involving healthcare institutions and livestock producers for effective AMR management.
This upcoming meeting will be a development of the July seminar by providing an opportunity to collectively consider local government AMR countermeasures within the Japan Society of Public Health, a forum for discussing the forefront of public health in Japan. The meeting will first provide an overview of the institutional positioning of AMR countermeasures within national and prefectural medical plans, infectious disease prevention plans, and other frameworks. Building on this, we will share concrete examples of initiatives by local governments and public health centers. Drawing on discussions from the July seminar, we will also explore the underlying perspectives, motivations, and practical barriers faced by the professionals involved in these activities. Presentations and survey reports will highlight the “One Health Approach”, an integrated view of human, animal, and environmental health, as key, touching on strategies and insights for fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders.
The subsequent discussion will provide an opportunity for dialogue between speakers and participants, aiming to identify the next steps for advancing more practical AMR countermeasures. Participants will brainstorm ideas, considering the specific characteristics of their own regions and work, on how to incorporate elements of AMR countermeasures into their daily personal health service and objective health service (health consultations, health checkups, vaccinations, hygiene management, food inspections, etc.), linking these to concrete project plans and action plans. This will create an opportunity for each participant to take a concrete first step toward enhancing the overall health and crisis management capacity of their community through their daily work.

*Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and will close once the set-capacity is reached (application deadline: Friday, October 24, noon).
**After registration is complete, a confirmation email will be automatically sent to the email address you provided. If you do not receive it, please contact info@hgpi.org

 

[Event Overview]

• Date & Time: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 18:00-20:00 JST
• Format: In-person
• Venue: Shizuoka Convention Arts Center “GRANSHIP”
  2nd Floor Waiting Rooms 2 & 3 (the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society of Public Health, Venue 15)
  (2-3-1 Higashi-Shizuoka, Suruga-ku, Shizuoka City, 〒422-8019)
• Language: Japanese
• Session Number: J-031 (Free Session)
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 50 participants
• Organizers: Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), AMR Alliance Japan
• Target Audience: Public health professionals primarily engaged in public health/health activities at local governments, as well as local government officials, healthcare professionals, and academic experts interested in AMR countermeasures
  
  *This session will be held as part of the 84th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Public Health, but if you attend this session ONLY, you DO NOT NEED to register or pay the registration fee for the meeting.

[Program] (Titles omitted)

18:00-18:10 Opening Remarks and Introduction

Yui Kohno (Manager, HGPI / AMR Alliance Japan)

18:10-18:40 Presentation: AMR Countermeasures as Health Crisis Management: The Expected Role of Local Government Staff

Michiko Nagamine (Director, Itabashi City Public Health Center, Tokyo)

18:40-18:55 Research Report: Current Status and Challenges of AMR Countermeasures in Local Governments

Daichi Watanabe (Senior Associate, HGPI / AMR Alliance Japan)

19:00-19:55 Discussion: Considering Phase-Free AMR Countermeasures for My Region/Work

Panelists:
Kazutoshi Sugiyama (President, Shizuoka Veterinary Medical Association)
Toshihiro Tanaka (Chief of Pediatrics, Shizuoka Kosei Hospital)*
Michiko Nagamine (Director, Itabashi City Public Health Center, Tokyo)
Takahiro Mochizuki (Department of Pharmacy, Shizuoka Cancer Center)*
* Short presentations will be made at the beginning of the session.

Moderator:
Yui Kohno (Manager, HGPI)

19:55-20:00 Summary and Closing Remarks

■ Speaker’s Profile (Titles Omitted)

Michiko Nagamine(Director, Itabashi City Public Health Center, Tokyo)
Michiko Nagamine graduated from Tokai University School of Medicine. She had a strong interest in international health and tropical medicine since her medical school days, and studied abroad at the University of London and University of Nairobi, where she did clinical practice for about 9 months on a credit-exchange program. After graduation, she did her initial training in the Department of General Medicine at Kawasaki City Kawasaki Hospital. She then obtained a Diploma in Tropical Medicine (DTMH) at Mahidol University (Thailand), and worked as a researcher at the Kenya Medical Research Institute. Since 2003, she has worked as a public health physician for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, serving in various municipalities including Shinjuku City, Setagaya City, and Minato City, engaging in infectious disease control, health promotion, and various activities. She has been in her current position since 2025. She is also an advisor to the Japanese Society of Tuberculosis, an advisor to the Japanese Society of Social Medicine, and is a certified specialist of the Japanese Society of Public Health, a certified internist of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine, and a Doctor of Medicine.

Kazutoshi Sugiyama (President, Shizuoka Veterinary Medical Association)
Dr. Sugiyama graduated from Azabu University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and later completed his Ph.D. there. His career includes roles at the Shizuoka Prefectural Poultry Experiment Station and Small Livestock Experiment Station (1984-1991), the Faculty of Agriculture at Shizuoka University (1987-1988), and as Representative Director of the Shizuoka City Emergency Animal Hospital (2015-2020). He currently serves the Director of the Sugiyama Veterinary Clinic, and holds numerous parallel posts, including committee member for the Japan Veterinary Medical Association, Vice President of the Shizuoka Animal Welfare Association, Vice President of the Japanese Clinical Society of Rabies, as well as a cooperative researcher at Azabu University.

Toshihiro Tanaka (Head, Department of Pediatrics, Shizuoka Kosei Hospital)
Born in Aoi-ku, Shizuoka City, Dr. Tanaka graduated from the University of Tsukuba’s School of Medicine in March 1992. After training and practicing at hospitals within and outside Shizuoka Prefecture, and studying abroad at the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, he has been serving as the Head of the Department of Pediatrics at Shizuoka Kosei Hospital since April 2010. His fields of interest include vaccination, pediatric infectious diseases, clinical pharmacology, intestinal bacteria, and breastfeeding. He is a member of numerous academic societies, including the Japan Pediatric Society, the Japanese Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (Board Member, Chair of Pharmaceutical Affairs Committee), the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, the Japanese Society for Vaccinology (Board Member), and many others.

Takahiro Mochizuki (Department of Pharmacy, Shizuoka Cancer Center)
Mr. Mochizuki received his Master’s degree from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Hokkaido University in 2004 and joined the Shizuoka Cancer Center in the same year. As a specialized pharmacist, he contributes to improving the quality and safety of pharmacotherapy in cancer treatment. He serves as a council member for the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and the Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control. He is a board-certified infection control pharmacist and antimicrobial chemotherapy pharmacist, dedicated to infection control and appropriate drug therapy for cancer patients.