VZCZCXRO2138
PP RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #2017/01 1031009
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131009Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0952
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 5688
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 5682
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 8322
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 8865
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 6871
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 8225
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 002017 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE 
DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK 
DEPT FOR EAP/J 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
HHS PASS TO CDC 
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI WHO JA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT APRIL 13 
 
REF: A. 05 STATE 153802 
 
¶B. TOKYO 1843 AND PREVIOUS 
¶C. 05 TOKYO 6267 
¶D. 05 TOKYO 6750 
 
TOKYO 00002017  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  The following is an update on avian influenza (AI) 
developments in Japan for the period April 6 to 13.  No 
human or animal outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza were 
reported in Japan during the past week. 
 
-- H5N1 to be designated a "Government-Decreed" Infectious 
Disease -- 
 
¶2.  The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) plans 
to designate the H5N1 highly pathogenic strain of avian 
influenza as a "government-decreed" infectious disease. 
The Infectious Diseases Panel of MHLW's Health Sciences 
Council will hold a meeting on April 14, which EST will 
attend.  Japan's Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Action 
Plan, which was released in November 2005, stipulates that 
in accordance with the Law concerning the Prevention of 
Infectious Diseases and Medical Care for Patients of 
Infections, the government should designate new pandemic 
influenza strains as a "government-decreed infection" 
immediately after an outbreak is diagnosed in Japan or 
abroad (see ref C for more).  However, because it normally 
takes several weeks to complete the procedures to make such 
a designation, officials are concerned that the 
bureaucratic procedure will delay any emergency response. 
Highly pathogenic avian influenza is currently categorized 
as a category D disease, which does not require the 
quarantine of a patient.  By designating H5N1 as a 
government-decreed infectious disease, officials will be 
able to require that patients be hospitalized.  (For more 
details on the infectious diseases law, refer to ref D). 
 
-- Kyoto City/Prefecture Establish AI Expert's Group -- 
 
¶3.  The Kyoto City and Prefectural governments established 
a joint experts' committee to work on local level responses 
to emerging infectious diseases with high mortality rates 
such as avian influenza.  The group held its first meeting 
on April 12, during which it considered a variety of 
response activities including the establishment of a 
response manual to cover such topics as the method of 
distributing prophylactic medicines in preparation for an 
outbreak.  The twelve members of the committee include 
avian influenza experts from the Kyoto Prefectural 
University of Medicine and Kyoto Sangyo University as well 
as physicians and attorneys.  During the meeting, members 
explained the prefecture and city's action plans and the 
central government's response guidelines.  They also 
discussed the possibility that migratory birds would bring 
avian influenza to Japan this fall, as they return from 
affected areas.  The experts said that it was critical for 
local officials to make a decision on which hospitals would 
be designated to respond to an AI outbreak, so that 
treatment for other diseases and medical emergencies would 
not be negatively impacted.  In addition, they talked about 
the need for the public to be better educated about the 
disease.  The group appointed ten medical and government 
experts to create a manual on medical treatment such as the 
distribution of Tamiflu and details on patient 
transportation.  (Note: Kyoto Prefecture is fairly 
proactive in its avian influenza related preparations most 
likely due to the fact that it experienced an H5N1 outbreak 
in poultry in early 2004, during which five individuals 
tested positive for H5N1 antibodies, but did not become 
ill.) 
 
-- Imports of Eggs Skyrocket: Avian Flu to Blame -- 
 
¶4.  On April 9, the Sankei Shinbun Newspaper reported that 
Japan's import of fresh eggs has skyrocketed over the past 
few years because of avian influenza concerns.  This has 
led in turn to what the newspaper called the "destruction 
of the domestic production myth."  In 2005, Japan imported 
 
TOKYO 00002017  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
eleven times more eggs than it did the previous year. 
Currently, Japan imports about eight percent of its eggs. 
After outbreaks of avian influenza were reported, 
consumption dropped and domestic companies decreased their 
production in response.  When demand increased again, the 
producers were unable to meet the new demand. 
 
¶5.  According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and 
Fisheries (MAFF), imports of fresh eggs have increased by 
about 1,000 to 2,000 tons per year over the past decade. 
In 2005, when an exponential jump occurred, import levels 
totaled 13,748 tons, compared to only 1,233 tons in 2004. 
The primary exporting countries were the United States, the 
Netherlands and Brazil.  The wholesale price for one 
kilogram of fresh eggs has been stable in Japan since World 
War II, hovering around 100 to 200 yen.  However, after the 
2004 avian influenza outbreak in Yamaguchi Prefecture, when 
concern about the safety of chicken meat and eggs 
increased, demand fell and so did prices.  As a result, 
producers lowered their production to help stabilize the 
prices.  Consumption then increased and prices skyrocketed. 
Because it takes nearly a half-year to restart egg 
production, many processors switched to imports to keep up 
with the demand.  Imports have continued to keep the supply 
stable, resulting in the annual increase of foreign 
produced eggs in Japan. 
 
-- Last Remaining Prefecture Releases its Pandemic Plan -- 
 
¶6.  Hyogo - the last remaining prefecture to do so - 
released its pandemic influenza preparedness action plan on 
April 10.  (Note: Kobe City is located in Hyogo 
Prefecture).  The plan enables the Hyogo government to 
"strongly request" that a suspected individual who is 
likely infected with pandemic influenza be hospitalized. 
The plan assumes there has been human-to-human transmission 
of avian influenza overseas.  If a potentially infected 
individual is detected through symptoms and quick tests, 
the Hyogo government can require the patient to be 
hospitalized for 24 hours for further testing.  During that 
time period, the government will ask the patient's family 
to stay at home to minimize the potential spread of the 
virus at its early stages of infection.  Officials will 
also request that the central government provide it with a 
list of individuals who traveled overseas to affected areas 
in order to be able to ask the returnees to be tested as 
well.  By submitting this plan, all Japanese prefectural 
governments now have their own preparedness plans in place. 
 
-- Hundreds of Birds Die Mysteriously Across Japan -- 
 
¶7.  Several cases of large amounts of wild birds dying have 
been recently reported across Japan.  On April 7, the Oita 
Prefectural Government announced that 89 dead crows were 
found in three pine forests in the prefecture between March 
28-31.  The government conducted tests to see if the dead 
birds were infected with the avian influenza virus or 
Newcastle disease, but they came back negative for both. 
As a result, officials conducted additional tests where 
they fed the gastric contents of the dead crows to mice, 
all of which died shortly thereafter.  The government 
suspects that some kind of poisonous substance was the 
cause of the deaths. 
 
¶8.  In Hokkaido, 600 dead sparrows have been found since 
the end of last year in a residential area of Asahikawa 
City.  Professor Mitsuhiko Asakawa, from the Rakuno Gakuen 
University, investigated the sparrow deaths, and concluded 
that parasites, toxic substances, or starvation were not 
the cause.  He will conduct further investigations to see 
if the cause may have been related to some kind of 
microorganism.  Avian influenza was not detected in the 
dead sparrows. 
 
¶9.  In Tokyo, 43 dead domesticated pigeons were found in 
two parks during April 8-9.  The distance between the two 
parks is about 13 km.  Tokyo's animal health center is 
 
TOKYO 00002017  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
currently investigating the cause of the deaths.  Because 
the pigeons tested negative for the avian influenza virus, 
the center suspects that the birds died from a toxic 
substance or were killed by humans. 
 
SCHIEFFER