Around the world, alcoholic beverages have played a vital role in shaping local food cultures and are an important source of revenue for governments. However, in addition to mental disorders like alcoholism, alcohol consumption is a known factor for a number of serious non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, liver disease, and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and can lead to social harms such as traffic accidents and violence. In response, some people are calling for action to address Health Problems Caused by Alcohol.

Driven by concern toward the health and social consequences of alcohol, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the “Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol” at the World Health Assembly in 2010. Later, in 2013, the WHO presented a plan aiming to prevent NCDs caused by alcohol consumption titled the “Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020” (currently the Global Action Plan 2022-2030). In response to these developments, Japan enacted the Basic Act on Measures against Health Problems Caused by Alcohol in December 2013. Based on this law, the Government of Japan formulated the Basic Plan for Promotion of Measures against Health Problems Caused by Alcohol (hereinafter referred to as the “Alcohol Basic Plan”). This is how all of Japan began taking steps to promote measures against alcohol-related health problems. The Alcohol Basic Plan is currently in its second phase (2021-2025) and outlines priorities and ten basic measures to drive progress in reducing alcohol-related harm. In response to that plan, guidelines titled, “Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption Considering Health Issues” were formulated in February 2024 to promote the dissemination of information regarding the risks associated with alcohol consumption.

For the upcoming 125th HGPI Seminar, we will host Dr. Sachio Matsushita, who chaired the study group that prepared the “Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption Considering Health Issues.” Dr. Matsushita will share the history and current state of domestic measures for reducing alcohol-related health problems, the background to the preparation of the “Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption Considering Health Issues,” and future prospects for efforts in this area. In 2025, Japan is set to revise the Alcohol Basic Plan, and on the global stage, NCDs will be discussed at the Fourth High-level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (HLM4). At HGPI, we will continue holding discussions on controlling alcohol-related harm and other NCDs like CVDs and kidney disease. We would like for this seminar to be an opportunity to discuss with all those present what measures can be taken to reduce alcohol-related harm within Japan’s health policy.

[Event Overview]

• Speaker: Dr. Sachio Matsushita (Director, National Hospital Organization Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center and Visiting Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine)
• Date & Time: Friday, May 24 , 2024; from 18:30-19:45 JST
• Format: Online (Zoom Webinar)
• Language: Japanese
• Participation Fee: Free
• Capacity: 500 people

■Profile:

Dr. Sachio Matsushita (Director of Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center and Visiting Professor, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine)
After graduating from Keio University School of Medicine, he began his career as a psychiatrist at Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center in 1988. Post-doctoral fellow at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism from 1993 to 1995. After returning to Kurihama Medical and Addiction Center in 1995, he received a Ph.D. in psychiatry from the Keio University School of Medicine in 2010. He became deputy director in 2011 and has served as director since 2022. He has chaired the committee of the development of the first drinking guideline in Japan.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated April 24 to April 30, 2024, as World Immunization Week. In conjunction with World Immunization Week, Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) is hosting this seminar to reflect on infectious disease control strategies, as well as the value of vaccination and immunization.

The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) not only had a profound impact worldwide but also prompted a renewed recognition of the importance of prevention, preparedness, and response to infectious diseases in modern society, which had been focused on addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Building on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 response, The Cabinet Agency for Infectious Disease Crisis Management(CAICM) was established in the Cabinet Office in September 2023. The “National Action Plan for Pandemic Influenza and New Infectious Diseases,” formulated in 2013 and partially revised in 2017, is also undergoing a re-revision, targeted for completion in summer 2024. Additionally, the integration of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, and the consequent establishment of the “Institute for Health Security”, are scheduled for 2025, accelerating the strengthening of Japan’s domestic system for infectious disease crisis management.

As discussions on nationwide preparedness for infectious diseases gain momentum, vaccination and immunization remain the fundamental pillars of infectious disease control strategies. Vaccination has been hailed as “the greatest invention in medical history,” and there are many diseases that can be prevented through vaccination and immunization. In addition to COVID-19, measles and pneumococcal disease, for which the transitional measures will end at the end of fiscal year 2023, are currently being addressed in the domestic media as of March 2024.

Furthermore, the benefits of vaccination and immunization are not limited to infancy and childhood but extend into adulthood and old age, making a life-course approach to vaccination and immunization desirable throughout one’s lifetime. However, several diverse challenges exist in promoting vaccination and immunization, including communication with civil society, awareness among healthcare professionals, varying positions of national and local governments, the roles and limitations of advisory councils, and balancing public subsidies.

In this HGPI seminar, we aim to explore the necessary measures for future infectious disease control strategies, centering on vaccination and immunization. We are honored to have Ms. Narumi Hori, a leading figure in infectious disease control discussions, as our speaker. In addition to the roles of healthcare professionals as key players in local vaccination and public health policies, we will also discuss the need for a life-course approach that is inclusive of socially vulnerable and high-risk populations. Through this seminar, we hope to deepen our collective understanding of infectious disease control strategies.

[Event Overview]

• • Speaker: Narumi Hori (Registered Nurse / Infection Control Consultant)
  • Date & Time: April 26, 2024 (Friday) 13:00-14:30 JST
  • Format: In-person (No online streaming)
  • Venue: Global Business Hub Tokyo　>>Access
    (Grand Cube 3F, Otemachi Financial City, 1-9-2, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN 100-0004)
  • Language: Japanese (No simultaneous interpretation)
  • Participation Fee: Free
  • Capacity: 50 people (first-come, first-served)
    *Application deadline: April 21 (Sunday) 23:59 JST

*An automatic confirmation email will be sent to your registered email address upon completion of registration. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please email info@hgpi.org.
**To optimize event operations and accommodate as many participants as possible, we kindly ask that you carefully consider your schedule and refrain from canceling after the result announcement.

■Profile

Narumi Hori (Registered Nurse / Infection Control Consultant / President, Infection Control Lab LLC / Adjunct lecturer, Department of Infectious Diseases, Division of Comprehensive Patient Care, Medical and Dental Sciences, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University / Research Fellow, Center for Surveillance, Immunization and Epidemiologic Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

Graduated from Kanagawa University’s Faculty of Law and Tokyo Women’s Medical University School of Nursing. Withdrawn from the doctoral program at Tokyo Gakugei University Graduate School (Master’s in Education). Completed the National Institute of Public Health (Health Crisis Management, Master of Public Health). After working in infectious disease departments at private and public hospitals, she completed the Field Epidemiology Training Program (9th term) at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases from 2007-2009, served as an assistant professor (Nursing Education/Infectious Disease Nursing) at St. Luke’s International University from 2009-2012, and has been working at the International Clinical Research Center of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine since 2013 (Infectious Disease Control Specialist). In April 2015, she concurrently took on the role of Medical Coordinator at the International Medical Care Department. She resigned from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in July 2018. In August 2018, she became a freelance consultant (Infectious Disease Control/Global Measures for Communities and Organizations).