Noriyasu Akase
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Noriyasu Akase (赤瀬 範保, Akase Noriyasu; died June 17, 1991[1]) was a Japanese AIDS[2] activist who was the first person in Japan to publicly admit to being HIV positive. For this reason, he was the subject of media scrutiny until his death, and he and his family faced discrimination because of his condition.
In 1988, Akase appeared in an interview televised by NHK. 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."[1]