Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TOKYO9
2007-01-04 05:14:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Tokyo
Cable title:  

HHS DEPUTY SECRETARY AZAR'S MEETING WITH PARLIAMENTARY

Tags:  TBIO EAGR KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA 
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VZCZCXRO8516
PP RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB
DE RUEHKO #0009/01 0040514
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 040514Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY TOKYO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9533
INFO RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUEHFK/AMCONSUL FUKUOKA 9426
RUEHNAG/AMCONSUL NAGOYA 8911
RUEHNH/AMCONSUL NAHA 1906
RUEHOK/AMCONSUL OSAKA KOBE 2869
RUEHKSO/AMCONSUL SAPPORO 0447
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC 8407
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000009 

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE
DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK
DEPT FOR EAP/J
USDA PASS TO APHIS
HHS PASS TO CDC
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER
DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN DENNIS CARROLL

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO EAGR KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA
SUBJECT: HHS DEPUTY SECRETARY AZAR'S MEETING WITH PARLIAMENTARY
SECRETARY TATSUYA TANIMOTO ON DECEMBER 6

SIPDIS

TOKYO 00000009 001.2 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TOKYO 000009

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AIAG AMBASSADOR LANGE
DEPT FOR OES/IHA SINGER AND FENDRICK
DEPT FOR EAP/J
USDA PASS TO APHIS
HHS PASS TO CDC
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, BHAT AND ELVANDER
DEPT PASS TO AID/GH/HIDN DENNIS CARROLL

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO EAGR KSTH ECON PREL SOCI JA
SUBJECT: HHS DEPUTY SECRETARY AZAR'S MEETING WITH PARLIAMENTARY
SECRETARY TATSUYA TANIMOTO ON DECEMBER 6

SIPDIS

TOKYO 00000009 001.2 OF 002



1. (U) Summary: On December 6, Department of Health and Human
Services Deputy Secretary Alex M. Azar II met in Tokyo with Tatsuya
Tanimoto, Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary for Food Safety.
They discussed a range of food safety and health issues, including
ongoing risk assessments, efforts to protect the food supply, and
health innovation. End summary.

BSE Feed Ban Issue
--------------

2. (SBU) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy
Secretary Alex M. Azar II and Parliamentary Secretary for Food

SIPDIS
Safety Tatsuya Tanimoto began their December 6 discussion with an
update on agricultural import issues and the ongoing U.S. regulatory
processes to prevent the introduction of BSE into the United States.
D/S Azar thanked Tanimoto for Japan's reopening of its market to
U.S. beef trade, and informed him that a final regulation was
forthcoming from the HHS Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by
December 2006 on the use of animal parts in medical products. D/S
Azar noted that the USG has banned animal products in ruminant feed
for the past eight years, and is assessing the implications of
extending the ban to all animal feed. He added that a final HHS/FDA
regulation on specified risk material in animal feed is likely in
2007, but emphasized that under U.S. law regulation on such matters
must be evidence-based and cost-justified. He offered to keep
Japan's Food Safety Commission (FSC) informed during this process.
Tanimoto thanked D/S Azar for the update on progress on the feed ban
issue, and noted that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, and
Fisheries (MAFF) has requested the USG to extend the ban to
non-ruminant feed. He added that mutual trust is essential in our
shared food safety issues, and that the U.S. and Japan should be

open to a regular exchange of information on the subject.

Food Products Derived from Offspring of Cloned Animals
-------------- --------------

3. (SBU) D/S Azar continued with an update on the ongoing HHS/FDA
risk assessment of food products derived from the offspring of
cloned animals. He noted that, although HHS/FDA had not released an
official assessment, USG scientists believe that there is no
difference between the safety of such products and those derived
from animals bred in other ways. He added that the official
conclusion at the end of the review process is likely to reflect
this position. Tanimoto responded that while Japan's FSC has not
conducted a risk assessment of such products, he presumed that
scientific results would not indicate any additional risks.
However, he said that the psychological and emotional issues that
surround cloning would likely be a factor in public acceptance. He
expressed interest in learning about USG-sponsored research results
and U.S. public opinion polling on the matter, and noted that the
discussion of the FDA risk assessment would prompt the Japanese
government to examine the issue. D/S Azar acknowledged the
emotional factor associated with cloning and noted that, while he
was unaware of any official polling on the subject, industry lobbies
had conducted polls, the results of which, however, seemed to
reflect their own particular biases.

Food Defense vs. Food Security: Differing Priorities
-------------- --------------

4. (SBU) Raising the issue of food defense, D/S Azar noted that the
USG places high priority on addressing the vulnerabilities of the
American food supply to a terrorist attack. Interestingly,
Tanimoto's response to D/S Azar's comment focused on Japan's concern
with foQ self-sufficiency, rather than on the risk of the domestic
food supply to an attack. Tanimoto noted Japan's dependence on
regular food imports, especially from the U.S., and highlighted the
threat to Japan's security of an interruption of food supplies.
Tanimoto noted that Japan had studied USG and industry efforts on
port security and cargo traceability, and said that such initiatives
were necessary in Japan to handle imports more effectively.
(Comment: While semantic differences in the interpretation might
have influenced Tanimoto's response, his comments imply that Japan
is less concerned about the defense of its domestic food supply than
on the secondary effects on its food imports of an attack elsewhere.
End comment.)


TOKYO 00000009 002.2 OF 002


Innovation
--------------

5. (SBU) Turning to the subject of innovation, D/S Azar noted the
importance of rewarding medical innovation in the health systems of
developed countries such as the U.S. and Japan. He added that, as
an innovation leader, Japan should consider the impact of innovation
in its ongoing health reform efforts. Tanimoto responded that
innovation is very important to Prime Minister Abe, who has
announced the "Innovation 25" initiative to maintain Japan's
economic leadership in the future. He noted that discussions are
underway within the Japanese government to determine the priorities
of this effort, but that pharmaceutical and medical devices will
certainly be included in the initiative.


6. (U) This message has been cleared by HHS.

DONOVAN