Japan is considering aid for the Latin American nations hit by the A/H1N1 flu virus, visiting Japanese Vice Foreign Minister said on Monday.

"We are very willing to cooperate as needed," Shintaro Ito said at a news conference together with his Mexican counterpart Lourdes Aranda.

Ito said he had met with Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos earlier on Monday to ask for more details on how to handle the epidemic.

According to World Health Organization data, the new strain of A/H1N1 flu, which has killed 106 people and infected 5,717 others in Mexico, has spread to 73 countries, infecting 25,288 people.

Japan, which has reported 410 infections and no deaths, imposed visa restrictions on Mexicans shortly after the disease was first publicly reported on April 23.

"We took those measures when we did not know how dangerous the flu might have been," Ito said. "As a result, no Mexican had fallen ill during visits to Japan, we wish to have the understanding of the Mexicans."

Mexico, which has the single largest number of flu deaths, has seen a fatality rate of around 2 percent. The United States, which has the highest number of confirmed infections at 13,217, has seen 27 deaths or a rate of 0.2 percent.

Aranda said President Felipe Calderon had planned a visit to Japan next year, but had not yet set an exact date.

"We are very happy about the planned visit because it is a sign of close relationship," Aranda said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 9, 2009)

Ito said that during his visit, the two nations had signed an agreement that would allow Japan to invest more in Mexico's infrastructure and energy sectors, but he did not provide details of how much more investment this could mean.

Japan and Mexico signed an economic partnership pact in April 2005 which allows Japan to participate equally in bidding rounds held by Mexico's state-run companies.

The Japanese Bank of International Cooperation has been providing financing for Japanese companies bidding for work from Petroleos Mexicanos, the state-run energy giant, since 2007.