Over the past two years, filmmaker and JMEA board member Seiji Arihara has been filming ME patients in Japan, depicting the daily reality of patients for a documentary film on ME in Japan, scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017.
We are currently raising funds to cover production costs for the film, and have created a short promotion video here. We ask for your help to circulate the video and encourage others to donate what they can so that we can make the best documentary possible.
The film will convey the difficult medical, financial, and social situation faced by ME patients and the complex problems surrounding ME, including the current “chasm in the (government) system” in which ME patients do not have access to public disability support and services under the current disability law. We would also like to portray the steadfast efforts of patient advocates and dedicated researchers and clinicians to improve the current situation despite these systemic problems.
Most of all, our goal is to raise accurate awareness about ME to improve the current state of medical care and to encourage new research for the disease.
ME remains virtually unknown in Japan, even with the Ministry of Health’s report from the 2014 ME/CFS patient survey revealing that 30% of patients are bedridden or close, most without access to reliable medical care. Patients and their loved ones continue to suffer from a lack of understanding about the severity of the illness from the medical profession, government health agencies, and society.
We kindly ask for your contribution to make the best film possible.
Donations can be made by bank transfer (within Japan) to the following accounts, created especially for the documentary film.
For donations from Japan Post Bank accounts:
– Japan Post Bank
Code: 10040 Number: 9222542
For donations from all other Japanese banks:
– Japan Post Bank
Branch Name: 008 Branch Number: 008
Regular Account: 9222542
Tokutei hieirikatsudohojin kintsusei nousekizuien no kai
Japan ME Association 