Japan Adopts Measures to Prevent SARS
Amid the rampant spread
of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in
such areas as China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the
Japanese government has strengthened measures to
prevent people in Japan and Japanese abroad from
becoming infected with the deadly virus. The
government has recommended that Japanese leave
Beijing, which has been one of the hardest hit
places, and has prepared to defend against an
outbreak at home, though as of May 16 there have
not yet been any confirmed cases of SARS in
Japan. The government is urging people who have
returned from China to isolate themselves in
their homes for a certain period of time and has
decided to allow what would effectively be the
involuntary hospitalization of persons suspected
of having SARS. Japanese corporations with
operations in China are temporarily recalling
Japanese staff, and it is feared that there may
be an adverse impact on production there. Some
corporations are predicting that they may suffer
serious setbacks because of SARS. Returnees Urged to Stay Home
As SARS spread through China, Japan's Ministry of
Foreign Affairs issued a warning on April 29
urging travelers to any part of China to be
"fully cautious." Out of the four levels of
travel advisories, this is the lowest
classification. The next higher level of travel
advisory, "consider whether travel is
necessary," had already been applied to Beijing.
The government issued the warning for all of
China on April 29 after determining that there
was a danger of the virus spreading from Beijing
to the provinces when Chinese made domestic
trips during a holiday period at the beginning
of May. The government urged Japanese nationals
in Beijing to leave the city and consider
returning to Japan, and it urged Japanese
students studying in China to come home. The
Foreign Ministry has already expanded its
"consider whether travel is necessary" advisory
from Beijing to include Guangdong and Shanxi
Provinces. These measures are still in place. At
the same time, the travel advisory on Hanoi,
Vietnam, which has successfully contained SARS,
has been lifted.
While urging Japanese travelers to show caution when
going abroad, the government also has been
considering what measures to take in the event
of an outbreak at home. On May 1 the government
assembled the heads of relevant ministries and
agencies for a meeting on SARS to decide on
appropriate measures. At the meeting it was
decided to call on people returning from China
to remain at home for 10 days, which is believed
to be the incubation period for SARS. In the
event that Japanese abroad are infected with
SARS, the task force decided to dispatch
Japanese doctors to treat them. Probable Patients Can Be Forcibly
Hospitalized
Following the meeting of the relevant cabinet
ministers, the Ministry of Health, Labour and
Welfare formulated measures for what would be
done in the event that a patient inside Japan
were found to be infected with SARS. Up to now,
probable SARS patients were expected to check
themselves into the hospital voluntarily. The
Health Ministry, however, put forward a new
formula that would allow prefectural governments
to direct such patients to hospitalize
themselves. In the event that a patient did not
follow such directions, he or she could be
forcibly hospitalized. And even before it can be
confirmed that a patient has SARS, suspected
patients will be treated as though they have the
disease, with the cost of hospitalization being
covered by public funds. These measures will
also apply to people who have had direct contact
with someone suspected of being infected, such
as family members and co-workers. These people
can be advised to undergo a medical examination.
While some countries, such as China, include possible
cases in their statistics on SARS patients,
Japan will not count someone as a SARS patient
until the infection can be confirmed by an
expert panel of the Health Ministry. Because
there would be risk of the virus spreading if
the people who had been in contact with a
possible SARS patient were not tracked until the
case could be confirmed, however, possible
patients will be treated the same as confirmed
patients, thus eliminating that risk.
Local governments, meanwhile, are making preparations
to handle SARS patients. According to a survey
conducted by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun at the
beginning of May, 46 of Japan's 47 prefectures
had drafted action plans for responding in the
event of an outbreak; the remaining prefecture
finalized its plan soon afterward. In addition,
some 250 medical institutions around Japan have
readied facilities especially for dealing with
SARS patients, including isolated rooms with
"negative air pressure" to prevent the virus
from spreading within the hospital.
Damage to Corporate Profits Unavoidable?
The spread of SARS in China is having a major impact on
the many Japanese companies that have production
and sales operations there. Acting on advice
from the Foreign Ministry, Toyota Motor Corp.
temporarily brought back its Japanese employees
stationed in Tianjin, Beijing, and Chengdu to
Japan to coincide with the Golden Week holiday
period. Of the 67 people who came back to Japan,
the return of 17 of them to the Beijing office
has been postponed for the time being. Honda
Motor Co., which has a plant in Guangzhou,
brought back the majority of its Japanese staff
there, numbering several dozen, and it has no
plans to repost them to Guangzhou for the time
being. In addition, other companies, including
Fuji Photo Film Co. and Daikin Industries, have
ordered their Japanese employees home, and
Kubota Corp. temporarily closed its Beijing
office.
Some Japanese corporations are expecting to be hard hit
by the SARS outbreak in China. One manufacturer
of photo equipment has said that the possible
closure of one of its plants in Suzhou may
impact on shipments of one of its hot-selling
digital cameras. This maker has also noted that
sales of color film are down throughout Asia, as
the number of travelers in the region continues
to decline due to SARS. Trading company Mitsui &
Co. has indicated that there have been delays in
shipping raw materials and textiles from China
and that its sales might drop by as much as \100
billion if SARS is not quickly brought under
control. Itochu Corp. is said to be experiencing
delays in its negotiations in China for fall and
winter apparel. Taking into consideration the
unfavorable impact of SARS on businesses, the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has
decided on a formula to protect companies
against trade losses under the Trade and
Investment Law in the event that they are forced
to close factories.
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