HIV-tainted Blood Scandal (Japan)
Japanese HIV-tainted blood scandal (薬害エイズ事件, yakugai eizu jiken?), refers to an event in the 1980s when between one and two thousand haemophilia patients in Japan contracted HIV via tainted blood products. Controversy centers on the continued use of non-heat-treated blood products after the development of heat-treatments that prevent the spread of infection. Some high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Health and Welfare, executives of the manufacture company and a leading doctor in the field of haemophilia study were charged for involuntary manslaughter.
The revelation of the scandal and the subsequent settlement and apology have been recognized as unique in Japan's corporate culture, where consumer safety is usually a low priority.
Read more about HIV-tainted Blood Scandal (Japan): Background, AIDS Spreading in Japan, Lawsuits, Charges
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