April 27, 2009

Japan Prime Minister Taro Aso ordered the Cabinet's crisis management officer Sunday to come up with measures to block swine flu from entering the country, government officials said, according to a report for Kyodo news service.

The officer, Tetsuro Ito, was also ordered to closely cooperate with other countries concerned and provide information to the public, following reports of swine flu infections in humans in Mexico and the US, they said, Kyodo reported.

The government will convene a meeting of all Cabinet ministers on April 27 morning to deal with the issue.

The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry received inquiries from 314 people Saturday after it set up a 24-hour phone consultation service on the disease.

Public inquiries included whether it is safe to travel to Mexico and about the situation in Mexico, ministry officials said, according to Kyodo.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a television programme Sunday that eating pork poses no danger of getting the infection.

Pork is sanitized at the shipment stage regardless of whether it is produced domestically or imported, he said.