2025 UHC Day Champion
Hon. Ayano Kunimitsu
Member of the House of Representatives, Japan
Browse other champions
- Countries driving UHC progress
- Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, Founder and President of UNITE - Parliamentarian’s Network for Global Health
- Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Vice Chair and Senior Advisor, International Health Policy Program Foundation, Thailand
- Solange Mbaye, Regional Programme Manager for Amref Health Africa, Senegal
- Levy Mkandawire, Programme Manager for Amref Health Africa, Zambia
- Concepta Kwaleyela, President of the Midwives Association of Zambia
- Professor Anne Beatrice Kihara, Former President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kenya
- Hester Mkwinda Nyasulu, Country Manager for Amref, Malawi
- Habibou Ouedraogo, Health Economist, Ministry of Health, Burkina Faso
- Hon. Hyun-Young Shin, Congresswoman, 21st National Assembly of Republic of Korea
Global health is essential for Japan’s health and medical security, and Japan upholds the realization of “Human Security,” including the achievement of universal health coverage, as a key guiding principle.
Dr. Ayano Kunimitsu is a physician and former Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, uniquely positioned to drive UHC and financial protection domestically and globally. Drawing on her experience in the Ministry of Health, she has championed reforms to ensure equitable access, notably by pushing for the insurance coverage of childbirth expenses (a key measure against catastrophic health spending) and expanding maternal care access.
As Chair of the LDP’s Global Health PT, she links Japan's social security know-how with international cooperation, focusing on strengthening medical assistance in the Global South. She views health as an ""engine for growth and security,"" advocating for sustainable financing mechanisms. Furthermore, her active role in the Women Medical Professionals Empowerment caucus demonstrates her commitment to gender-responsive health financing, addressing structural barriers to health access faced by women and girls, both in Japan and in humanitarian settings.
