Kazuyoshi Kaneko, Japanese minister of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, said Friday that the government should declare the end of A/H1N1 influenza epidemic in Japan.

Kaneko made the request at a cabinet meeting as the nation's tourism industry has been hard hit in western Japan due to a large number of cancellations of school excursions and other trips.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, however, was not of one mind with Kaneko.

In response to Kaneko's appeal, the top government spokesman said at a press conference that time has not come for Japan to declare the end of the epidemic though things are going in that direction.

Japan needs to coordinate with other flu-hit countries in order to announce the end of the outbreak, he added.

Kawamura's remarks were echoed by Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Yoichi Masuzoe, who said that Japan needs to be cautious about altering its measures against the new flu at a time when the World Health Organization (WHO) is deliberating whether it should upgrade its pandemic-alert level to the highest phase 6 from the current 5.

As the Kansai region has been afflicted with a large number of influenza infections, the western region has suffered a huge loss in tourism revenues. Some local authorities in the region have declared an end to the epidemic in their communities.

(Xinhua News Agency June 5, 2009)