VZCZCXRO8370
PP RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHKO #2394 1490757
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 290757Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4003
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 4272
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 1291
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 0501
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 3721
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 4853
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 2161
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 8472
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS TOKYO 002394 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE 
DEPT FOR OES/IHA COMELLA 
DEPT FOR EAP/J 
USDA PASS TO APHIS 
HHS PASS TO CDC 
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER AND HICKEY 
DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN DENNIS CARROLL 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KFLU KSTH ECON PREL SOCI CASC JA
SUBJECT: AVIAN INFLUENZA: JAPAN WEEKLY REPORT MAY 24 
 
REF: A. 05 STATE 153802 
 
¶B. TOKYO 1644 AND PREVIOUS 
¶C. 06 TOKYO 2135 
 
¶1.  No human or animal outbreaks of H5N1 AI were reported in Japan 
during the period from April 13 to May 24. 
 
-- GOJ designated H5N1 as "government-decreed" infectious disease 
for the another year -- 
 
¶2.  On April 27, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's (MHLW) 
Health Sciences Council accepted MHLW's policy to extend the period 
of its designation of H5N1 as a "government-decreed" infectious 
disease for another year from June 12.  The GOJ designated H5N1 as a 
government-decreed infectious disease last year by order of the 
Cabinet. By designating H5N1 as a government-decreed infectious 
disease, officials are able to impose certain restrictions on the 
rights of those infected by the virus, or even suspected of being 
infected by the virus, in order to prevent the further spread of the 
disease. 
 
-- GOJ lifts ban on import of Hungarian chickens -- 
 
¶3.  On May 11, the GOJ has lifted a ban on the importation of 
poultry meat and guts that were imposed on January 25 due to 
outbreaks of avian influenza in Hungary. 
 
-- Indonesia resumes sending H5N1 samples to Japan -- 
 
¶4.  On May 16, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said 
that Indonesia resumed sending H5N1 avian influenza samples to the 
WHO Collaborating Center in Tokyo, the National Institute for 
Infectious Diseases (NIID).  Dr. Masato Tashiro, Director, WHO 
Collaborating Center in Tokyo confirmed that NIID received H5N1 
virus specimens on May 10.  An official at the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs confirmed that the virus sample was received in accordance 
with existing WHO guidelines on sample sharing, and no separate 
bilateral agreement was involved.