Tourism minister declares Japan safe from new-flu threat

Friday 26th June, 04:10 PM JST

TOKYO —

Japan is now safe from the threat of the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza epidemic, tourism minister Kazuyoshi Kaneko said Friday. ‘‘There is no need to refrain from traveling if the reason is the fear of new-flu infections,’’ Kaneko said in a statement. Kaneko, minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, issued a safety declaration in not only Japanese but also various other languages amid a sharp decline in the number of overseas tourists to Japan since the first domestic infections were confirmed in May.

On Wednesday, the government-affiliated Japan National Tourism Organization said the number of foreign visitors to Japan plummeted 34.0 percent in May from a year earlier to 486,100, following the outbreak of the H1N1 strain of influenza in the country. In the statement, Kaneko said most infected people have already recovered their health. As of Wednesday, the number of new-flu infections in Japan stood at 989, of whom 664, or about 67 percent, have already recovered, the statement said. Kaneko said in the statement that things are returning to normal in western Japan’s Kansai region that includes the cities of Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe, where a large number of people, mainly students, were infected with the new flu. The statement said it is extremely unlikely that tourists would be infected with the flu at travel spots, noting that antiseptic solutions are distributed at hotels and that people are strictly observing rules to wash hands and gargle. ‘‘Japan is soon entering the (July-August) summer holiday season…As minister in charge of tourism I’d like to say ‘Please go ahead with your travel plans and please come to Japan without anxiety,’‘’ Kaneko told a regular news conference Friday.

Kyodo

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Latest 15 of 24 Total Comments Show All

wanderlust at 07:09 PM JST - 26th June

The policy of fingerprinting and being photographed on arrival must be putting those nasty virii off coming here, with only the good ones being allowed in...
EUgirl at 07:11 PM JST - 26th June

wanderlust: the same policy did not help in the U.S. with 1 million people with the virus...
hamiltontruther at 08:32 PM JST - 26th June

japan is now safe because mr. j-hole minister said so because his seniors deemed it so. either that or it's the one-cup ozeki talking.
Sarge at 09:11 PM JST - 26th June

Hey, Japan is, after all, the safety country.
WMD at 10:31 PM JST - 26th June

Potential tourists are put off coming to japan for a million reasons. Let's face it, there are much cheaper, more interesting destinations in Asia than concreted over japan. And too, consider the pig flu infection risk of all those fingers touching those criminal fingerprinting machines when tourists are warmly welcomed into the country.....
some14some at 10:57 PM JST - 26th June

Unless i hear from WHO i will not believe to tourism minister(y)!
stirfry at 11:59 PM JST - 26th June

wanderlust: the same policy did not help in the U.S. with 1 million people with the virus...

interesting to see where you got these figures
Betting at 12:53 AM JST - 27th June

Why would the tourism minister say this? Should it be a job for the health minister?

Just another lame attempt at trying to keep the tourism industry afloat here.
flatearther at 02:46 AM JST - 27th June

Oh, thank goodness my tourism minister has told me that I'm safe from an infectious disease. Excuse me while I run down to my local kombini and ask the clerk for advice on modern art..... WTF does this tourism guy know about H1N1?
KnowBetter at 03:24 AM JST - 27th June

I said it would happen but Japan INC. never learns from its past mistakes and now claims it's all OK so come and visit us. We won't treat you tourists like death carrying zombies and keep you couped up in a airliner for up to 3 hours so it totally screws up your arrival plans.

No sir please come a visit us with your fat wallets. Your ill looking features will not be a concern to us when you come to spend money in Japan.

Hold on, is that the sheep running down the road again not in fear this time but out visiting other cities in Japan because some 'high-up' has said it's safe to so now?
ogtob at 06:16 AM JST - 27th June

Meanwhile back at the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare....
EUgirl at 09:51 AM JST - 27th June

stirfry: New York Times.
EUgirl at 09:53 AM JST - 27th June

stirfry: And L.A. Times today, they quote CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Statistician at 11:51 AM JST - 27th June

Don't think this had so much to do with flu as the value of the yen
Bento at 04:32 PM JST - 30th June

its a relative safety thing he is pointing out..admitting that the flu is out and about in Japan and containment efforts are being scaled down,but as its around everywhere where tourists to Japan come from they can say its "safe" for them to come.