Agenda

Special Seminar
Contemporary Japanese society and “drug-induced sufferings”
2nd, October, 15:45-17:15

This special seminar discusses the characteristics of contemporary Japanese society through one of the most famous social problems in Japan, “drug-induced sufferings”, called as “YAKUGAI” in Japanese.
"Drug-induced sufferings" refers to "health damage and social difficulties caused by pharmaceuticals" and is a concept unique to Japan. This concept became widespread in Japan in the 1960s after the thalidomide incident and the “thalidomide-induced sufferings”. Subsequently, “drug-induced sufferings of SMON”, “drug-induced sufferings of AIDS” and other drug-induced sufferings occurred. Today it has been clear that drug-induced sufferings have continued since just after the defeat in the Pacific War.
Conventionally, these problems have been regarded as “health problems caused by medicines” and generally understood as physical problems for the victims. However, a series of these problems is one in which victims have experienced social discrimination and exclusion because of their harm. In other words, this is not just health problems but “social sufferings”.
In this seminar, we would like to introduce how Japanese society has treated such “social sufferings” and what the victims have experienced, and to discuss how these are linked to the characteristics of contemporary Japanese society.

Programme

Introduction: “What is Drug-induced Suffering?”

Associate Professor Masatake Hongo, “Becoming Sufferers: The Establishment of Drug-Induced Suffering”

Professor Tomiaki Yamada, “The Lived Experience of the Sufferers of Drug-Induced Suffering”

Professor Akihiko Sato, “Discourse Analysis of Drug-Induced Suffering”

Discussion