Acting HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan Discusses Food Safety and Pandemic Influenza with Japanese Officials

Acting HHS Deputy Secretary Hargan (right) discusses continued collaboration on global health issues with the Japanese Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare, the Honorable Hakuo Yanagisawa (left), and his staff. Also present is HHS International Health Analyst Nina Wadhwa (third from right).

July 11, 2007 – Acting Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Eric Hargan, Esq., is visiting Tokyo, Japan this week to meet with Japanese Government officials regarding issues of food safety and pandemic influenza. During his trip, Acting Deputy Secretary Hargan will also discuss broader issues of U.S.-Japan cooperation in global health.

On Tuesday, Acting Deputy Secretary Hargan met with the Honorable Kiyomichi Fujisaki, Director-General of the Department of Food Safety within the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare (MHLW), to discuss food-safety issues. Mr. Hargan also held talks with the Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare, the Honorable Hakuo Yanagisawa, and with the Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Honorable Takeshi Iwaya, to discuss continued U.S.-Japan collaboration in global health.

The Acting Deputy Secretary’s trip includes a visit to Japan’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and site visits related to food safety and pandemic influenza.

For more information:

• Additional Photos from Acting HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan's Trip to Japan

Last revised: July 17, 2007