The syphilis epidemic in Japan is something that has featured on this blog countless times. Just last year, we wrote about its alarming further growth. We wish we had something more positive to share with readers, but the news just keeps getting worse. The total number of cases in 2023 has already exceeded 10,000 -- the fastest time this has ever occurred. Medical experts are advising people to get tested even if they exhibit no symptoms in an effort to stop the spread of the disease. Cases hit 10,103 on September 3, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. That is a ...

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Here at Tokyo Kinky, we pride ourselves on how we strive to keep up with the latest research and fieldwork. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. And so when we see an academic article titled "Exploring sexual contact networks by analyzing a nationwide commercial-sex review website," it's a no-brainer whether or not we read. Even if it's written by ecologists. Though framed in academese, the article is essentially looking at reviews for soaplands on a website that covers 66% of establishments in Japan (784 soaplands) and has more than 2 million members and information on 38,964 sex ...

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The growing problem of syphilis in Japan is not new: we've been writing about it for years now. But it simples that it won't get better any time soon. Just when you think cases can't rise anymore or that the coronavirus pandemic would at least slow its relentless spread, along comes the latest batch of statistics to prove you wrong. We are only a quarter of the way through the year but number of cases of syphilis in Japan is already up yet again, reports the Mainichi. Compared to the same period last year -- whose overall figure reached a record high -- the number of syphilis cases has ...

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Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases announced the grim news on December 14 that cases of syphilis were at a historic high in the country. This year's number of reported syphilis cases hit 7,134 from January to December 5. The number is the highest since measurements began. Syphilis is increasing nationwide, though Tokyo, Osaka, and surrounding areas saw a particular surge in reported cases: Tokyo led the pack with 2,226 cases, followed by Osaka with 761 and Aichi with 379. In terms of per-population rates, though, the rural prefectures of Kochi, Okayama, and Miyazaki had the ...

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Omotenashi indeed. Japan is still losing the fight against sexually transmitted diseases and infections, it seems, judging from the last syphilis figures that were announced at the start of the year. In an uncanny, somewhat depressing repetition of a similar report from January last year, the syphilis epidemic shows no signs of slowing. In fact, it's getting worse. The number of syphilis patients reported in 2017 topped 5,000 -- the first time it had hit such a level since records began. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases has revealed that 2017 featured the worst data ...

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As we know, attitudes towards safe sex and sex education are somewhat lacking in Japan. Condoms are merely for preventing pregnancies, that's presuming the guys even stop to worry about that. Judging by how many shotgun weddings there are even among famous celebrities, it seems that "do first, think later" is often the rule after a few drinks and a trip to a love hotel. What can you do to protect yourself? Well, condoms are a solution and a love hotel will always provide at least one for you. What about getting tested for STDs or STIs? After all, syphilis is on the rise and HIV ...

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Once again we have an alarming announcement from Japan's health ministry that the number of syphilis patients in Japan has gone up. This has become a regular news item of late, prompting the ministry to launch a special team to investigate ways to combat the spread of sexually transmitted infections and diseases. Hospital data from across Japan reports that the number of syphilis patients totaled 4,259 in early December, which is an big increase of 77% from 2,412 in the corresponding period in 2015, and more than seven-fold from a decade ago. It seems that current efforts to ...

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How do you get people to have safe sex? Well, don't trust the guys to fulfil their end of the bargain, it seems. Instead, get the girls to insist on protection. And communicate to them using their favorite manga characters. That seems to be the logic behind the latest safe sex campaign in the sexually transmitted infection heaven that is Japan. Sailor Moon, the manga and anime series popular with girls and young women, has inspired its own series of contraception. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has launched a campaign fronted by Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon heroines to ...

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The Japan Times has published an interesting article about Pilcon, a safe sex organization started by a young Japanese woman. "Asuka Someya discovered she was pregnant at the age of 20 when she was a university student." This proved the fuel for her later founding of Pilcon in 2013. Now every two months it holds workshops and talks to make up for the shortcomings of sex education (or lack there of) in Japanese schools and families. It has also produced YouTube videos about safe sex, such as this one which has been viewed 1.5 million times since late 2012. It contains the ...

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The annual AIDS awareness charity event 24-Hour TV: Eroticism Saves the Earth was held over the weekend, complete with its televised antics and its now frankly traditional Shinjuku porn star breast groping event. All in a good cause, we'll have you know! Leading up to the event there was even an online fund-raising campaign. Love is Patience challenged you not to look at hot Japanese girls while they did "sexy" stuff. The longer you held out, the more money raised for charity. This year's event at the Shinjuku venue attracted 7,175 people -- the highest ever and around 1,000 more than ...

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