Japan has only seen a handful of monkeypox cases so far, with the government making concerted efforts with medical institutions and activists to contain the disease when it is detected domestically.
But with the risk of more cases appearing, and the global outbreak currently mostly affecting men who have sex with men, some question how well Japan can tread the line between preventing stigma and adequately informing the population of the reality of the disease.
Though monkeypox is usually confined to Central and West Africa, where it is endemic, the current outbreak, which began in May, has been concentrated in Europe and North America. According to the World Health Organization, as of Aug. 23 over 41,000 people worldwide have been infected so far this year.