From 6th to 9th December, an IPPF mission comprising Steven Sinding, Director-General, and Yuri Nakamura, Resource Mobilization/Japan Trust Fund Officer, IPPF, visited Japan.

At a 30th anniversary commemoration for the Japan Parliamentarians Federation for Population (JPFP), Sinding spoke on how he expected the recent reelection of US president Bush to harm the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRH/R) around the world.

Sinding explained how Republican president Ronald Reagan had instigated the Mexico City Policy, which has now become known as the Global Gag Rule, and that the US had attacked SRH/R at the Fifth Asian and Pacific Population Conference, in Bangkok in December 2002, by refusing to sign the Plan of Action.

Now, more than ever, he said, it was up to Japan to continue to show courage and leadership as it has done for so many years in the support of RH/R.

On behalf of IPPF, Sinding expressed his profound gratitude to the people and government of Japan for the confidence and support shown to IPPF since its inception of contribution to IPPF in 1969.

On another note, Sinding said that moves to have access to RH services added as a ninth Millennium Development Goal had not been accepted, and that it was now necessary to have SRH/R added to existing goals.

Around 250 people attended the event, including leading politicians, academicians, NGO representatives and journalists.

Sinding with Yasushi Akashi,
former UN Deputy Secretary-General,
and Taro Nakayama, Chairman, JPFP,
at the 30th anniversary commemoration for JPFP

JOICFP

Meeting with JOICFP, Sinding thanked JOICFP for its advocacy efforts in mobilizing support among Japanese parliamentarians, policy makers and the public, and said he looked forward to further collaboration between the two organizations.

Sinding then held a press conference at JOICFP with representatives of the mass media, informing them about the threat that IPPF was under due to US actions.

JOICFP executive director Sumie Ishii with Sinding at JOICFP

Sinding also met with newly appointed Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) officials in charge of liaising with IPPF. These included Dr. Taro Yamamoto, Assistant Director, and Yumiko Yoshino, Aid Planning Division, and Shigekazu Sato, Director-General, Economic Cooperation Bureau.

The MOFA officials again indicated that overseas development assistance was unlikely to be increased due the economic situation of Japan.

During a meeting with the Minister of Justice Chieko Nohno