HPV Vaccination in Japan: The Continuing Debate and Global Impacts

In June 2013, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW) suspended its active recommendation of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination after a small number of highly publicized alleged adverse events stoked public fears about the vaccine’s safety.2 While the MHLW continues to provide the HPV vaccination for those who request it through the National Immunization Programme (NIP), as of mid-April, the suspension of the HPV vaccination recommendation continues. Since the release of our CSIS report The HPV Vaccination in Japan: Issues and Options3 in May 2014, anti-vaccine groups have strengthened their control of the narrative surrounding the HPV vaccine, intensified their activities, and continued to capture media and public attention. The medical community has split as prominent personalities have come forward to support claims of adverse effects linked to the HPV vaccine even in the absence of any evidence of association. Countermeasures by the MHLW, medical professional groups, and others have been comparatively weak and, it appears, ineffectual. It remains unclear how and when this increasingly complicated and difficult situation will be resolved. In this paper, we outline major events with regards to the HPV vaccine controversy in Japan since May 2014, highlighting long-term implications of the rapid drop in vaccination coverage and recommending how to best move forward. There are also two addendums that explore global perspectives on the current situation in Japan and examine examples of how other countries have dealt with concerns and opposition to the HPV vaccine