Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Challenges in Japan and Abroad

Every year, 700,000 people are thought to die from antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections globally. Without effective measures to address this issue, it is projected that the annual death toll will rise to up to 10 million by 2050. In Japan, the AMR Clinical Reference Center at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine estimates that there were approximately 8,000 deaths in 2017 due to bacteremia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichiacoli (FQREC), two of the most common antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

Antimicrobial drugs play an important role in modern medicine and have contributed to curing infections and improving patient prognosis. At the same time, AMR has emerged as a serious problem that threatens the future of the country’s health care system, and robust policies are needed to address this growing threat.

Policy Trends

Global Policy Trends

  • May 2015: The World Health Organization (WHO) General Assembly adopted the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
  • June 2015: At the G7 Elmau Summit, antimicrobial resistance was taken up as one of the key issues.
  • 2016: The G7 Ise-Shima Summit confirmed the strengthening of efforts on antimicrobial resistance.
  • 2019: At the G20 Osaka Summit, the G20 confirmed its intention to promote efforts based on the One Health approach, a global approach to AMR.

National Policy Trends

  • November 2015: The Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Task Force was established under the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
  • December 2015: The Steering Committee on the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance was established within the framework of the Ministerial Meeting on Measures on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
  • April 2016: Japan’s first action plan was decided upon at the Ministerial Meeting on Measures on Emerging Infectious Diseases.

HGPI's Initiatives

The Health and Global Policy Institute has been holding expert meetings on AMR since 2016. There has been a continuous demand for the establishment of a neutral discussion forum for industry, government, academia, and the private sector to collaborate and deepen cooperation in order to promote effective countermeasures against AMR. In response, the AMR Alliance Japan was established in November 2018 as a platform for facilitating collaboration. In July 2019, the Alliance released the “AMR Alliance Japan Policy Recommendations: The Japanese Government’s Role in Promoting AMR Countermeasures” and advocates to policymakers based on the seven themes included in the recommendations.

2016年

  • 18 April 2016: US-Japan Expert Meeting on AMR, “Japan’s Role in Addressing Global Antimicrobial Resistance”

2017年

  • 21 July 2017: The 2nd AMR Global Expert Meeting, “Post G7 Ise-Shima Summit: Reflecting upon Japan’s National Action Plan and Addressing Next Steps for Global Antimicrobial Resistance”
  • 14 November 2017: The 3rd AMR Global Expert Meeting, “Side Event at the Tokyo AMR One Health Conference: Measures Should Be Taken to Achieve Action Plan”

2018年

  • 6 September 2018: Kick-off Meeting, “AMR Alliance Japan—Setting the Vision”
  • 8 November 2018: Global Expert Meeting to Commemorate the Establishment of AMR Alliance Japan and Press Release
  • 21 December 2018: Diet Member Briefing on Global Health

2019年

  • 11 July 2019: AMR Alliance Japan Policy Recommendations: The Japanese Government’s Role in Promoting AMR Countermeasures
  • 26 July 2019: AMR Alliance Japan Media Briefing
  • 1 October 2019: AMR Alliance Japan Website Launch
  • 3 October 2019: AMR Alliance Japan Delivered Policy Recommendations on AMR to Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Katsunobu Kato
  • 7 October 2019: AMR Alliance Japan Urgent Forum: “The Stable Supply of Antimicrobials and Crisis in the Antimicrobial Market: A Call for Global Public-Private Cooperative Action from the G20”
  • 16 November 2019: 30-minute Health Policy Update #1, “Tokyo 2020 and Infectious Diseases—The Challenge of AMR”

2020年

  • 22 January 2020: The 1st Sub-committee on AMR of the Nikkei Asia Africa Conference on Communicable Diseases—Asia Africa Medical Innovation Consortium (AMIC)
  • 22 March 2020: 30-minute Health Policy Update #2, “Industrial Development Policy to Protect Citizens from Infectious Diseases”
  • 27 April 2020: The 2nd Sub-committee on AMR of the Nikkei Asia Africa Conference on Communicable Diseases—Asia Africa Medical Innovation Consortium (AMIC)
  • 14 May 2020: Recommendations Toward the Next National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance
  • 31 July 2020: AMR Alliance Japan: New Website Collects All Resources on AMR in Japan in One Place
  • 21 August 2020: AMR Alliance Japan Symposium at the 94th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, “The Actions Required of Us Right Now”
  • 3 September 2020: Improving Infectious Diseases and AMR Surveillance
  • 23 September 2020: The 3rd Meeting of the Sub-committee on AMR of the Nikkei Asia Africa Conference on Communicable Diseases—Asia Africa Medical Innovation Consortium (AMIC)
  • 28 September 2020: Roundtable on Medical Fee System Measures to Discourage the Spread of AMR
  • 7 November 2020: The 7th NIKKEI FT Communicable Diseases Conference — The AMR Consortium of the Asia Africa Medical Innovation Consortium (AMIC)
  • 20 November 2020: New Policy Briefs on the Situation of AMR in Japan and Abroad

HGPI’s Areas of Focus and Mission

HGPI works in accordance with the following vision, mission, and recommendations of the AMR Alliance Japan:

Vision

To build a strong healthcare system that protects citizens at home and abroad from infectious diseases caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

Mission

The AMR Alliance Japan is dedicated to advancing the fight against AMR in Japan and abroad and contributing to the improvement of public health.

Recommendations

01　Promoting antimicrobial stewardship based on the actual situation at healthcare facilities.
02　The construction of a domestic AMR surveillance and crisis management system.
03　Enabling the further and active use of screening methods for the detection of antimicrobial resistance and rapid diagnostic technology.
04　Supporting education on AMR for the public and medical practitioners.
05　Establishing incentive models to encourage R&D for antimicrobials.
06　Stabilizing the supply of antimicrobials.
07　International collaborations to share successes and lessons learned on AMR domestically and abroad.

The Three Pillars of HGPI's Future Activities

Pillar 1

Incorporate the Alliance’s recommendations into AMR-related legislation

Pillar 2

Disseminate the importance of AMR countermeasures

Pillar 3

Provide a forum for industry, academia, government, and the private sector to discuss AMR policy

Last Modified: March 2021