A historical consideration about the Preventive Vaccination Law of Japan constituted in 1948

Abstract

Vaccination is of great value to us. Protection from inoculation is more than the prevention of infectious disease. It is a political theme of the worldwide security pact. However, there were fear and anxiety for vaccination in the world, particularly in Japan. Japan constituted the Preventive Vaccination Law in 1948 under Allied Powers occupation. It was very enforceable law unlike any other in the world. Its broad coverage of vaccination was made up by the policy of GHQ. The law obliged Japanese people to get inoculations with domestic vaccine. It seems hat many vaccination accidents that occurred later in Japan were caused by the poor vaccine production system. The risks of vaccinations were already mentioned in GHQ documents, but it was not regarded as important in the Preventive Vaccination Law of Japan. It also caused many problems with vaccinations. GHQ/5CAP PHW improved many problems in Japanese public sanitation in postwar years, but it is also true that they left some problems for the later in Japan. The Preventive Vaccination Law continued into effect without changing its legal force after the end of the occupation, and caused smallpox vaccination evils. The forced attitude, which is military medical in the Preventive Vaccination Law, was finally over in the legal revision in 1994. These historic facts are considered a possible reason of some Japanese vaccinations avoidance.