TOKYO – Japan’s parliament on Wednesday enacted laws to establish a new institution modeled after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to better respond to health crises after the government was criticized for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak.   The center, expected to commence operations in fiscal 2025 at the earliest, will be a part of Japan’s….Read more

BY TOMOKO OTAKE, STAFF WRITER   Ken Ishii could have become Japan’s Katalin Kariko, the Hungarian-born biochemist whose pioneering work laid the groundwork for messenger RNA vaccines. He could have, that is, had he secured enough funding to continue his research in the late 2010s — just a few years before the world was turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.….Read more

At the Lower House plenary session on May 18, the bill to set up the “national health crisis management and research organization” (Japanese version of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) was passed through a majority vote backed by the ruling parties, Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party), the Democratic Party for the People, and others. The bill was….Read more

By Kara Kentaro   TOKYO – At a session of the Lower House Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare on May 10, Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Kato Katsunobu expressed a negative view about a “Japanese version of the CDC” handling PFOS problems. He explained that the “national health crisis management and research organization,” which will be newly set….Read more

Tokyo, May 8 (Jiji Press)–Artificial intelligence tools are in wider use in Japan to prevent oversights in medical examinations and inspections of infrastructure.   AI can be used to make computer images clearer and spot potential abnormalities from vast amounts of data, allowing workers to notice problems more easily and their workloads to be reduced. Its importance is growing as….Read more

The Japan International Cooperation Agency has launched joint efforts with domestic pharmaceutical companies to establish an overseas clinical trial network for Japan-made vaccines. The idea is to heighten preparations for pandemics involving new infectious diseases, according to sources.   The envisaged network will cover six countries, from Kenya to Thailand. JICA intends to develop readiness for a new pandemic by….Read more

All networks reported that Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno announced at a press conference this morning that the current COVID-10 border control measures will be lifted at 12 a.m. on Saturday, April 29. The GOJ will also end the random testing of travelers arriving on direct flights from China. The networks said that although the GOJ was planning to lift the….Read more

Nikkei reported that the GOJ is making arrangements to lift its current COVID-19 border controls on Saturday. The paper said that although the GOJ was planning to keep the measures in place until May 8, when COVID-19 will be downgraded to Category 5 under the Infectious Disease Law, the same level as seasonal influenza, it decided to move the date up….Read more

NHK reported that Prime Minister Kishida delivered a keynote speech at an international conference held at the Diet today, where parliamentarians of more than 30 nations discussed global issues. Kishida reportedly said that global health will be one of the items on the agenda for the G7 Hiroshima Summit and expressed hope to deepen discussions with the G7 leaders on….Read more