JCP demands increase in the number of quarantine officers

Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Koike Akira on May 22 demanded that the number of quarantine officers be increased at Kansai International Airport (KIX) to make the prevention of contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) effective.

Koike told a House of Councilors Health, Labor, and Welfare Committee meeting that KIX currently has only 24 quarantine officers who are forced to work on 24-hour shifts.

Criticizing the government for decreasing quarantine staff even though the number of people departing and arriving Japan has increased by 9.65 million in the last 13 years, Koike demanded that the Health Ministry thoroughly strengthen the inspection system. (end)