Japanese philanthropist calls for end to term 'leper'

Tuesday 27th January, 02:17 AM JST

LONDON —

The British media and public should not use the term ‘‘leper’’ because it further stigmatizes people suffering from leprosy, a Japanese philanthropist said Monday in London. Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation, said the common use of the word ‘‘leper’’ in the West to describe a ‘‘pariah or social outcast’’ is extremely damaging for those suffering from the illness.

He also called on Britain and the United States to drop restrictions on work and residence permits for people suffering from leprosy. Sasakawa, who has spent the last 30 years working for the elimination of the illness, was in London to launch the fourth global appeal to end discrimination against people affected by leprosy. This year’s appeal has been signed by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He told an audience of religious and charity bosses, ‘‘Unfortunately its use continues to this day in the news media, including the U.K. media, impacting on the dignity and human rights of people with this disease. Let it no longer be used as a term of derision and exclusion.’‘

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6 Comments

zaichik at 08:24 AM JST - 27th January

Wow, two Sasakawa Foundation press releases in quick succession....

Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of the Nippon Foundation, said the common use of the word ‘‘leper’’ in the West to describe a ‘‘pariah or social outcast’’ is extremely damaging for those suffering from the illness.

Not as damaging as placing people suffering from Hansen's Disease in isolated colonies and effectively treating them as prisoners and slave labour, and imposing sterilisation and abortion on them, which is what used to happen in Japan until quite recently....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/4311679.stm http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/nov/07/japan.northkorea
browny1 at 09:17 AM JST - 27th January

Spot on zaichik.

As I recall Leper/Leprosy is rarely used these days, Hansen disease being the normally applied term.

Reiterating zaichiks comments - Wow that's some front for a Japanese organization to attack Britain re Hansen disease. The shocking state of affairs for such sufferers in Japan reads like an Orwellian novel - except that it's all true.

The first true public recognition of their plight came with an apology from prime minister Koizumi. Too little too late - and the stigma remains.

While not discounting the possibility of discriminatory psactices in Britain, the Nippon Foundation would do better to focus it's energies in this area on the state destroyed lives in Japan.
USAkuma at 09:38 AM JST - 27th January

I snort at this Japanese guy's attempt to tell other countries to be more sensitive, when as Zaichik says, they have been way more severe to Hanson sufferers here in Japan.

Although not particularly religious, I think there was a Christian saying that goes something like "before pointing out the splinter in your neighbor's eye, take the log out from your own."
illsayit at 11:23 AM JST - 27th January

Perhaps Japan is trying to point fingers at the Christians-or better worded as 'mis-interpretations of the Bible', considering they have only recently changed their support within Japan. Perhaps pointing at Britain is a 'light' place to start? Or, strong, for Japan.
Stonefish at 12:06 PM JST - 27th January

I may be wrong, but I thought the use of the term "leper" as a term of derision etc went out ages ago. It is, after all, pretty unPC.
aedfed at 02:41 PM JST - 27th January

Brings to mind the mayor of Minamata in the 1980s complaining, "Why do they call it Minamata disease? Couldn't they give it a foreign name?"

The fact that it's a disease means that no matter what you call it, it will develop negative connotations.

If it makes Sasakawa feel better, what used to be leper colonies in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa are now looking after AIDS patients.

BTW, isn't Sasakawa the "philanthropist" with ties to right-wing thugs in Japan?