News outlets report on the opening of the International Conference on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the 5th Replenishment Preparatory Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, taking place in Tokyo.

EFE/La Prensa: Bill Gates participates in Tokyo conference to end malaria and AIDS
“…The two-day symposium is also being attended by World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan, health ministers of several countries, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Canadian Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau…” (12/16).

Japan Times: Japan hosts international health conference ahead of G7 summit
“…The conference at a Tokyo hotel, attended by about 300 people, focused on how to spread ‘universal health coverage’ (UHC) as Japan is considering announcing measures to help spread basic medical care in developing countries as one of its foreign policy priorities when it hosts the summit of major nations next year. At the start of the conference, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on international organizations and communities to ‘work together toward a common goal of strengthening health systems’…” (12/16).

Xinhua News: Abe, Gates promote global health care vision at Tokyo conference
“…Making basic medical care available to those in developing countries is likely to be announced as one of Japan’s major foreign policy drives forthwith, and means to raise funds to globalize the UHC framework and train more medical staff to deal with emergency health incidents, such as the Ebola virus epidemic, were traversed at the conference…” (12/16).