Opening remarks
by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan
Yasuhisa Shiozaki

Tokyo Meeting of Health Ministers
on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Asia

April 16, 2016
Peacock West Hall, Imperial Hotel
Tokyo, Japan

Honorable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning. I am Yasuhisa Shiozaki, Japan's Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare. It is my great pleasure to have you around the table today. I should like to sincerely appreciate taking your precious time out of your busy schedules to come all the way to Japan although you might have missed the best cherry blossom season.

At this moment, I would like to declare the opening of the "Tokyo Meeting of Health Ministers on Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia" in collaboration with World Health Organization Regional Offices for the Western Pacific and South East Asia. In this context, I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr Shin Young-soo, Regional Director for Western Pacific Region and Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for South East Asia Region.

We, namely Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan, as well as WHO, OIE and FAO, are here today to discuss the AMR issue which is a serious concern to the international community in both health and agricultural areas, and to seek a model of mutual cooperation and collaboration in our region of Asia and Pacific.

We welcome expert observers from countries including G7 and other relevant countries, international and regional organizations such as the World Bank and aid agencies like JICA, and experts from public research institutes and academia.

Antimicrobial Resistance is a growing threat to the global security. The world is suffering from drug resistant pathogens, both existing and emerging. Currently, according to the report, led by Dr. Jim O'Neill commissioned by the UK Government, resistant pathogens are estimated to be responsible for 700,000 deaths in the world annually. On the other hand, the development of new antimicrobials has slowed down significantly in recent decades.

In addition to human lives and sufferings, an antibiotic-resistant infection can also cause heavy economic burdens through loss of productivity and extra healthcare costs. Furthermore, it broadly affects broader sectors including animal health, agriculture, food security and the environment.

We are faced with increasing risks and dangers of significant impact upon our population and future generation. This is why G7 Health Ministers addressed this unavoidable issue in the last year's G7 Health Ministers meeting in Berlin.

AMR is one of the most pressing global health security issues in the world. Particularly in our region of Asia and Pacific, the challenge is overwhelming. It is estimated that 4.7 million people will die annually in Asia because of AMR by 2050. This is the largest number in the world than in any other region.

The World Health Assembly last year adopted a resolution regarding the AMR global action plan. It has called for each member state to make a national action plan within two years. In the OECD report, the Western Pacific region and the South-East Asia region are recognized as the areas with the highest proportion of countries with AMR national action plans: however, not all countries seem to afford to pursue their plans in full. Thus, we still have some issues to resolve jointly.

To better respond to this global and regional threat, we need a wide range of policies and measures, namely, facilitating research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines and diagnostics, promoting rational use of antibiotics, strengthening infection prevention and control, and enhancing standardized surveillance system. For this reason, as reinforced by the Global Action Plan to Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2015, the "One Health" Approach is critically needed for tackling AMR. All the relevant sectors should take actions jointly.

Global collaboration is also critical. Actions is being taken: the Global Health Security Agenda is to cooperate for strengthening nations' capacity in combating the health threats in which Japan undertakes a role of a leading country for AMR Action Package. Global and regional awareness is also a key. In this context, I would like to commend India's successful meeting, "Combating Antimicrobial Resistance: Public Health Challenge and Priority" which was held in February.

Japan is fully committed to global health issues including AMR. As our Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced last December in the Lancet article, "Japan's vision for a peaceful and healthier world", we are fully aware of the importance of supporting countries to comply with the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial, and also of our responsibility for addressing the threat of AMR in the Asia Pacific region.

With this background, I decided to host this Meeting. I would like to take advantage of this great opportunity to solidify our bonds for advancing AMR policies in Asia and Pacific region. The outcome of this meeting will lead to the G7 Ise-Shima Summit and the G7 Kobe Health Ministers Meeting. Our region's cooperation and collaboration will encourage other regions and raise global momentum for the High Level Meeting on AMR at UN General Assembly this year. This AMR meeting is crucial to advance our concrete actions to fight against AMR and realize a safer and healthier world.

Prior to this meeting, the technical expert consultation had been held for two days with vigorous discussions. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for their tireless efforts and expect their precious inputs from their deliberations feeding into the today's Meeting. Their discussions are certainly helpful for us to deepen our discussions and ensure fruitful outcomes. On behalf of all the Ministers and delegates, I reiterate our sincere appreciation to the distinguished experts.

I truly hope that today Ministers' discussions on AMR will lead to the next chapter of our endless fight against AMR not only in our region but also for the whole world.

I thank you for your kind attention.