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Japan to join calls for probe into WHO’s coronavirus response
- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the proposal will be made at WHO’s general assembly to begin on Monday
- The WHO has been accused by the US and some of its allies of turning a blind eye while China withheld data that could have helped limit the spread of Covid-19
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Japan will call for an investigation into the World Health Organisation’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday.
“With the European Union, (Japan) will propose that a fair, independent and comprehensive verification be conducted,” Abe said.
He said the proposal will be made at WHO’s general assembly to begin on Monday.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also said on Friday that Japan was joining a chorus of calls for such an investigation and the probe should be conducted by an independent body.
“This disease has had a devastating impact on the entire world, and information must be shared between countries in a free, transparent and timely manner, lest we risk it spreading even more quickly,” Motegi said in a parliamentary session, in reference to Covid-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
“There’s a lot of discussion in the international community about precisely where the virus came from and the initial response,” he said. “There needs to be a thorough investigation, and it’s crucial that this be carried out by an independent body.”
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