was a Japanese

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

activist who was the first person in Japan to publicly admit to being HIV positive publicly. For this reason, he was the subject of media scrutiny until his death, and he and his family faced discrimination because of his condition.

Announcement

In 1988, Akase appeared in an interview televised by

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestri ...

. In it he said, "I’ll just be pleased if you show me as an ordinary old man with hemophilia, an old timer who contracted HIV and is having fun despite his disability. I'd like my friends to have courage and spend their time in a meaningful way. It's okay to worry and it's okay to think about all sorts of things, but time marches on, no matter how much you worry."

Consequences

Akase's wife was fired from her nursing job after her employer discovered that her husband had HIV. She was subsequently fired six more times from new employers for the same reason.

Legacy

His name is cited on Block 12 of the

AIDS Quilt The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated to AIDS Memorial Quilt or AIDS Quilt, is an enormous memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece o ...

memorial in New Zealand.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akase, Noriyasu Year of birth missing Year of death missing 20th-century deaths HIV/AIDS activists HIV/AIDS in Japan Recipients of contaminated haemophilia blood products People with HIV/AIDS AIDS-related deaths in Japan