The AED Problem: Lives are not being saved because 'she is a woman.' Is this the kind of world we want to live in!? I was shocked to learn that the survival rate for women after puberty is low. You don't have to take off all their clothes to use an AED!!

Hello.
This is Amami, your self-care advisor.

Today, I'd like to share something I noticed while traveling.

It was at a roadside station where I stopped for lunch.
Behind the checkout counter, it was placed right there.
A microwave for heating up bento boxes, and an AED.
And while I was waiting for my food to heat up, I noticed something.

🧡 The risks behind the benefits of using an AED have become a topic of discussion

It has been a long time since AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) were installed in cities, schools, supermarkets, and train station platforms.

Just today, seeing that note along with the AED, I was taken aback.

“Please don't hesitate to use an AED on a woman!!”
What kind of society is it that requires such a message to be posted?
I couldn't help but think that.

For years, there has been talk about the risks men face when saving lives, specifically the fear of being sued for using an AED.

Because of this, information spread that it's better not to take the risk if it means a man could be sued for indecent assault and have his life ruined.

🟪 More and more people are hesitating to save women

In 2017, a post on social media claiming that “many female employees said they would sue a man for sexual harassment if he used an AED on them” was shared over 10,000 times.

However, the poster later apologized, saying it was “all a lie.”

And in 2025, the claim that“a woman who was saved by an AED filed a damage report”was re-circulated on social media.

In an awareness survey conducted in response to this,the number of people who said they “cannot or do not want to” perform life-saving measures on women rose by 3.4 points from the previous survey, and those who said they were “worried about being sued for sexual harassment” increased from 34% to 42%.

Every time a bit of information is spread, it doesn't just disappear as false;it gradually erodes people's consciousness each time it is repeated.That seems to be clearly visible in the numbers.

In reality, the National Police Agency has stated that they are “not aware of any cases where a man was sued for using an AED on a woman.”

From a legal perspective,acts of attempting to save someone in good faithfall under “emergency management of affairs” in Article 698 of the Civil Code and “emergency evacuation” in Article 37 of the Penal Code,and it is considered that one will not be held liable for damages or criminal responsibility.

The anxiety of “possibly being sued” is, unfortunately, poorly grounded.
Of course, anyone is free to sue, so in a broad sense, it is a risk.
But is that really the concern here??

🟧 Data shows that women are less likely to be rescued after puberty!

A research group from Kumamoto University and others surveyed over 350,000 people who collapsed from cardiac arrest and found that the rate of receiving an electric shock from an AED was3.2% for men, while it was only 1.5% for women. In the young generation aged 15-49, it was 7.0% for men and 3.8% for women,
showing an even wider gap.A study by Kyoto University examined the AED usage rate for students who suffered cardiac arrest at school and found that while there was almost no gender difference among elementary and junior high school students,

the usage rate for female students dropped by about 30 points once they reached high school.After puberty, women become “less likely to be helped.” This fact is quite shocking, isn't it?

❤️ For every minute of delay, the survival rate drops by 10%

For every minute that the AED electric shock is delayed, the survival rate drops by approximately 10%.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (2024 edition), the national average time for an ambulance to arrive has finally reached about 10 minutes. The time spent hesitating is directly linked to life.

“Don't I have to take their clothes off?” “Isn't the wire in a bra dangerous?”

While there are such anxious voices, you don't need to remove all their clothes.

It is enough to shift the underwear and attach the pads to the bare skin. After attaching the pads, it is okay to cover the skin with clothes or a towel from above.
That will not affect the function of the AED.

You don't have to think, “I must do it perfectly.” It is more important to use it even one second faster.

Are there people around you who are used to rescue or are of the same gender?
Did you call 119?
You can call out or check for breathing regardless of gender.

You can attach an AED without having to strip them completely.
Please know that.

No matter what, there must be something you can do.

That is why I feel that looking away and pretending not to see is the scariest thing.

💚 Gender is irrelevant to saving lives

If the person who collapsed is a woman, there is a resistance to removing clothes or touching the skin.
Such feelings may be a natural hesitation as a human being.

But that hesitation of a few seconds or minutes might change someone's life.

“It doesn't have to be perfect, so please have the courage to take a step forward to save a life.”The words on a piece of paper I found while traveling struck me deeply.

In an emergency, your courage might connect someone's life. I really want you to keep that somewhere in your heart.

Reference:
Data released by the Kumamoto University and Kyoto University research group, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Fire and Disaster Management Agency 2024 Status of Ambulance and Rescue, Asahi Kasei Zoll Medical 2025 Awareness Survey, Japan Fact-check Center (March 2025)