A hemophiliac who achieved fame through his dogged fight to make the government accountable for the use of HIV-tainted blood products is picking a fight again, this time over Tokyo's handling of hepatitis C.
Satoru Ienishi, 43, has long been the symbol of a grassroots campaign to win restitution for hemophiliacs who were infected with HIV through the use of unheated, tainted blood products.
After winning a landmark settlement in 1996, Ienishi entered politics, serving as a House of Representatives member for seven years until his term expired in November.