In 2021, the HGPI Women’s Health Project launched its reproductive health and rights platform Youth Terrace with the objective of promoting SRHR in Japan.Below, we provide recommendations regarding the ideal methods of engaging in such platform initiatives. In doing so, we hope to contribute to the further development of SRHR in Japan by sharing the lessons we learned from implementing our platform with wider society.

Executive summary

Perspective 1: The need to expand educational opportunities for comprehensive sex education and to promote understanding of SRHR throughout society to meet the needs of Japan today

• Expand the content covered during sex education in schools to reflect the content of the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education.
• In order to provide expanded comprehensive sex education during school education, curriculums on SRHR in teacher training courses and teacher training opportunities should be expanded.
• Work together with educational institutions to create opportunities for training on SRHR for households and community members.
• At healthcare institutions, which have the potential to become key providers of consultations, educational opportunities for health care professionals should be expanded to include SRHR in training courses with the objective of providing health services from the perspective of the parties involved. Training opportunities for healthcare professionals provided after graduation should also be enhanced.

Perspective 2: The need to expand opportunities for people to obtain accurate information regarding SRHR throughout the life course and have access to consultations on their troubles when necessary

• Expand support systems so working adults can obtain accurate information regarding SRHR on a continuous basis to match each stage in life, as well as to have access to consultations when necessary.
• Discussions on SRHR in the field of occupational health should be encouraged to bolster systems for continuous SRHR support for working adults. Specifically, this includes the need to provide companies with incentives to establish SRHR consultation services and to hold training courses and other programs on SRHR.
• To meet the needs of today, public institutions should disseminate information on SRHR through the proactive and effective use of tools like online media and social networks, as well as reinforce efforts to build awareness toward SRHR among uninterested people by collaborating with highly influential content producers.

Perspective 3: The need to provide long-term financial support to implement sex education programs that fully incorporate SRHR, to enable effective awareness-building activities, and to establish continuous consultation services

• To provide sex education that fully covers SRHR, it will be important to achieve nationwide equity in sex education and training opportunities. Surveys should be conducted to grasp the real-world implementation status of sex education and training programs and continuous budgets should be secured to provide the interventions deemed necessary according to the results of those surveys.
• When conducting activities to raise awareness and establish consultation services for SRHR, instead of operating services through public organizations alone, it will be necessary to expand activities within civil society organizations and private sectors to make it possible to provide services that better meet the needs of those most affected. While encouraging joint public-private activities like these, continuous financial support for such activities should also be expanded.