Junko Mihara: “It was painful just to look at my child” and go into politics with cervical adenocarcinoma

On November 26, 2021, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) announced the resumption of the active recommendation of the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. Eight years after it was suspended in 2013, Junko Mihara, 57, an assistant minister in the Cabinet Office and a member of the House of Councillors, has been working hard to reintroduce the HPV vaccine. Eight years after it was suspended in 2013, Junko Mihara, 57, an assistant minister in the Cabinet Office and a member of the House of Councillors, has been working hard to reintroduce the HPV vaccine. Junko Mihara, 57, an assistant minister of the Cabinet Office and a member of the House of Councillors, has been working hard to reintroduce the HPV vaccine. Having survived cervical adenocarcinoma herself, she felt more than anyone the importance of prevention.

I was in the entertainment industry at the time. At the time, I was so busy with my daily work in the entertainment industry that I had never had a thorough examination. …… That was my first physical examination. That was the first time I had a physical checkup. Since it was such a good opportunity, I asked for a cervical cancer test as an option.

Although he had taken the physical checkup with a light heart, a phone call changed his life forever.

It was from the hospital where I had the physical checkup, and they said, ‘Please have another checkup. When I went to the hospital later, they gave me a referral letter to go to the university hospital for another checkup. But I did as I was told and went to the university hospital for another examination.

At the re-examination, I was diagnosed with “advanced dysplasia” and told that I was one step away from cancer.

When I heard that I had advanced dysplasia, I didn’t take it too seriously at first. At first, I didn’t think it was that serious, because I knew it wasn’t cancer. However, the doctor said, ‘Just to be safe, let’s have a conical hysterectomy and examine the tissue,’ so I did. However, as a result of the tissue test, I was told that I had adenocarcinoma of the cervix. Even though I had heard that I had advanced dysplasia, I never thought that I would be diagnosed with cancer, so my mind went blank. My mind went blank, and I wondered if I was going to die.

Adenocarcinoma of the cervix is a cancer with a poor prognosis, as radiotherapy and anticancer drugs are not effective in some cases and metastasis is likely to occur. I received a detailed explanation about cervical adenocarcinoma, which shocked me even more.

The doctor told me that I needed to have my entire uterus, surrounding ovaries and lymph nodes removed as soon as possible. I would have to give up having children. I wondered if there was any way I could avoid having my uterus removed, but at the time there was so little information about cervical cancer and cervical adenocarcinoma that I had no way to figure out what to do. ……”

Although she should have received treatment for cervical adenocarcinoma as soon as possible, she could not make the decision to have her uterus removed without being convinced. Mr. Mihara sought a second opinion.

I was faintly hopeful, but the doctor’s opinion was the same. On the contrary, he told me to be thankful that I had a life. I couldn’t entrust my life to a doctor who spoke such words to a patient.

Mr. Mihara wanted to leave the matter to a doctor he could trust, so he sought a third opinion. At the same time, with the help of acquaintances and others, she interviewed cancer survivors who had experienced adenocarcinoma of the cervix.

When I heard that removal of the ovaries and lymph nodes caused severe menopausal symptoms, and removal of the lymph nodes caused lymphedema, a condition in which the legs become twice as swollen and urinary problems occur, I was troubled. I was an actress at the time, so I thought it would be difficult to continue working as an actor.

At the fourth hospital I visited, Sanno Hospital, I finally found a doctor I could trust.

I told the doctor who gave me the force opinion how I felt, and he was kind enough to help me find a way to continue acting. It was decided that I would have only my uterus removed, leaving my ovaries and lymph nodes intact, on condition that I undergo regular checkups.

In the past few years, more and more celebrities have come out about their cancer, but at that time it was not common. As an actress, illness is a negative thing. As an actress, being sick is a negative thing; you are judged to be at risk of losing your job, you can’t get regular work, and you can’t do commercials because of the image of your illness. Mihara refrained from publicizing her illness, but a weekly magazine reported that she had cancer. However, this was a turning point for Mihara.

I was able to overcome cancer thanks to the information I received from many cancer survivors. I am grateful for the information I received from many cancer survivors, and I wondered what I could do to help. In the process, I realized many times that the government’s power was needed, so I decided to become a politician to make a difference.

This is how Mr. Mihara was elected to the House of Councillors for the first time in 2010. She became a politician and worked hard to protect the lives of children and women, but for several years she faced a series of conflicts.

Having a complete hysterectomy was a very painful reality for me. I couldn’t look directly at my child for several years. …… It was painful. However, this was soon replaced by a desire to help other women who were going through the same thing I was. As someone who has given up on children, I understand the pain of not being able to have children. That is why I want to be there for everyone who is going through the same pain.

When I was Vice Minister, I created an infertility prevention support package and focused on promoting women’s health according to their life stages. I have heard from women who are undergoing infertility treatment, “I didn’t know that infertility increases after the age of 30. I believe that creating an environment where people can learn about infertility is also a challenge.

One of Mr. Mihara’s achievements as a politician has been the promotion of the Basic Law on Cancer Control and the enactment of the Cancer Registration Promotion Law. One of his achievements as a politician is the promotion of the Basic Law on Cancer Control and the enactment of the Cancer Registration Promotion Law.

We will continue to do our best in fertility treatment, child abuse prevention, and cancer control. Japan is lagging behind in pediatric cancer care, and we have started a new initiative to address the issue of cancer in the AYA generation (adolescents and young adults). In some cases, young cancer patients are forced to give up having children in the future due to anti-cancer drugs and radiation therapy.

However, by freezing and preserving eggs and sperm before treatment, it is possible to overcome cancer and conceive and give birth to a child through artificial insemination when the patient is an adult. We have started working with doctors and the government to create such a system. We live in an age where one out of every two people in Japan has cancer. I believe that my mission is to protect the lives of people who have cancer.