The number of reported AIDS patients in Japan hit a record high of 327 in the year 2000 while reported cases of infections of the HIV virus reached 462 last year, the second highest number on record, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said Monday.

The ministry said that an increased number of male Japanese AIDS patients contributed to the overall rise, adding that the number of people who developed AIDS or contracted the HIV virus through same-sex intercourse has been sharply rising.

Japanese male AIDS patients, who accounted for 73 percent of AIDS patients, totaled 237 in 2000, up 25 from 1999, the ministry said.

In 2000, 27 percent of such patients developed AIDS as a result of HIV infection through same-sex intercourse, 76 percent of whom contracted the virus in Japan, the ministry said.

Most Japanese male AIDS patients whose HIV infection was caused by same-sex intercourse were in their 30s and 40s, with a peak age bracket between the ages of 40 and 44, according to the agency.

As for annually reported cases of HIV infections, 336, or some 73 percent, were Japanese men, down 43 from the record high 379 cases recorded in 1999.

Non-Japanese AIDS patients in 2000 accounted for 21 percent, while 20 percent of reported cases of HIV infections which were reported in Japan last year were those of foreigners.

The ministry also pointed to the need to establish a system to promote early discovery of HIV infections and provision of treatment.