The Japanese Medical Women's Association plans to offer training to its members on teaching sex education to students at junior high and high schools, according to association officials.
Aiming to tackle the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and rising number of abortions among teens, the 2,000-member nationwide association will recommend trained doctors to junior high and high schools as sex education instructors, the officials said.
The association said doctors who undergo the training will be better prepared to dispense information and advice than school teachers. The group also said female doctors should be easier for students to approach than male doctors, but it did not explain why.
The association will report on the plan at its annual meeting to be held Saturday in the city of Saga and intends to start the training program this fall.
According to Ruriko Tsushima, director of the Perinatal Center at Bokuto Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, who proposed the plan, 10 out of 1,000 girls have abortions by their late teens and some 40 percent of high school seniors in Japan have had sexual intercourse.
Tsushima also said sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and genital herpes among students are on the rise.
The association will regularly provide applicants with lectures on recent research results on related issues such as changes in sexual behavior and will certify doctors who complete the program.
The association is expecting 100 to 200 applicants initially but will accept more in the future, the officials said, adding that it will also create educational materials, including videotapes and textbooks.