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Experts urge Japan to review medical goods supply chains

Experts in Japan are calling for a review to the country's supply chains for medical products. (Shutterstock)
Experts in Japan are calling for a review to the country's supply chains for medical products. (Shutterstock)
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30 May 2020 08:05:57 GMT9
30 May 2020 08:05:57 GMT9

Experts in Japan are calling for a review to the country's supply chains for medical products, as some countries are trying to keep such items to themselves amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. 

"In an emergency like this, medical supplies and key components such as those related to semiconductors become hard to obtain, because they grow even more important to national security," said Keisuke Hanyuda, partner at Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting LLC.

He added that the Japanese government should work to ensure that businesses and other facilities in Japan are supplied with such products by supporting companies with a certain level of production capacity through the use of public-private investment funds.

Hanyuda also stressed the need for international rules that will restrict moves by countries to prioritize themselves through export regulations on face masks, protective clothing and other medical supplies.

China has been using economic means against Japan and others to achieve its foreign policy goals, Chubu University professor Masahiko Hosokawa said.

Japan "needs to prepare for emergencies given its dependence on China for many ingredients for pharmaceutical products," he warned.

The government should sort medical supplies into essential and nonessential ones to decide what products should be manufactured domestically, he said.

Hosokawa said the government should increase the official prices for such essential products under the public health insurance system if they are made in Japan.

"It is crucial" to diversify all of the domestic production, stockpile and supply channels to ensure a stable supply of medical goods, Hosokawa said.

He highlighted the need to prepare different actions for different items.

"For example, medicines are good for stockpiling as they don't take up much space, but ventilators are not since they require regular maintenance," he added.

"It's important for Japan, the United States and Europe, which all share the same values, to work together," he continued.

"So far, companies have focused on economic efficiency, but the coronavirus crisis has made them realize the importance of diversifying risks and pursuing sustainability," Hosokawa said.

JIJI Press

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