The infected person is a man in his 30s who returned from Europe and is currently in a hospital.

The MHLW Minister Shigeyuki Goto said at a press conference that a large-scale spread will not happen immediately, as happened with Covid-19.

Unlike novel coronavirus, monkeypox’s infection pathways are narrower in scope. It requires prolonged exposure to respiratory secretions at close range, Goto said.

“The impact on the health system is limited. We will proceed with necessary measures while confirming the outbreaks at home and abroad,” he stressed.

Goto also said Japan has the necessary amounts of smallpox drugs, also effective against monkeypox virus, as an initial response.

On Monday, the Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a level 1 infectious disease risk alert aimed at Japanese travelers and expatriates around the world.

According to an official statement, the ministry will provide timely information and alerts related to the most recent “public health emergency of international interest”, as declared by the World Health Organization on July 23.

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