Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda attended the first Advisory Council on Countermeasures against Novel Influenza and Other Diseases held at the Prime Minister's Office.

Discussion took place on the past efforts made for countermeasures against novel influenza and the Act on Special Measures for Countermeasures against Novel Influenza and Other Diseases, among other matters.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address, "Crisis management is the most important basic responsibility that the national government must assume. Spread of novel influenza infection would have a severe impact not only on people's lives and health, but also on people's everyday life and the entire economy. It is precisely a matter of crisis management.
I believe the act on special measures enacted in this session of the Diet is a major step towards taking every possible measure. As for the next step, we will prepare an action plan based on the laws.
Those who gathered here today are leading experts in various specialized fields, and at the same time are the people expected to take initiatives in acting at actual sites in the time of crisis. We must prepare an environment wherein all relevant parties can react promptly and uniformly against the national crisis of the epidemic of novel influenza. I earnestly ask you to gather your wisdom in order to formulate an effective action plan."