Prime Minister Naoto Kan held a meeting of the Headquarters for Countermeasures against Novel Influenza A (H1N1) at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussions took place on the global situation and the current state in Japan concerning novel influenza A (H1N1), and measures to be taken going forward.

The Prime Minister said, "In Japan, 202 people died due to novel influenza A (H1N1). So I would first like to pray for the repose of the souls of these people.
With regard to the global situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recently announced that the disease has moved into the post-pandemic period. Considering this along with the outbreak situation in Japan, I would like to identify the direction the government should be taking, with regard to matters including the treatment of this headquarters.
However, I think we should never let our guard drop. The end of the latest pandemic phase of novel influenza does not at all mean that we should cease to be alert. In a certain sense, I believe that we must watch more cautiously than ever the trends of these highly-pathogenic types of avian influenza. I ask you to also discuss restructuring countermeasures against highly pathogenic, avian novel influenza, for its implementation."