On 30th November, the 25th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for AIDS Research was held under the theme of "Living Together," with over 150 participants, including medical staff, researchers, paramedical students, AIDS activists and NGOs, including JOICFP, attending.

A seminar during the workshop, jointly organized by the Japan Family Planning Association and JOICFP, entitled "AIDS has a Woman's Face," featured four presentations.

Sumie Ishii, Executive Director, JOICFP, spoke about the global situation of HIV/AIDS, focusing on women's issues and JOICFP's activities in this area. Using data from WHO and UNAIDS, Ishii showed how HIV/AIDS is being 'feminized' and how gender inequity, especially in Africa and Asia contribute to this.

She was followed by an obstetrician who explained the needs of HIV-positive women during pregnancy and delivery, and then by Dr. Kunio Kitamura, Medical Director, Japan Family Planning Association Clinic, who spoke on the importance of dual protection, especially for young women.

The final speaker was the co-chair of APN+, who gave examples of advocacy on HIV/AIDS that focused on women.

The annual meeting was chaired by Chizuko Ikegami, Representative, PLACE Tokyo; the first time the meeting had been chaired by someone other than a medical doctor. It was also an opportunity for JOICFP to advocate directly to researchers on its activities, and for researchers to meet people who are in the frontline combating AIDS.