TOKYO >> The Japanese government has decided to establish its own version of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention next April as part of efforts to improve the mitigation of infectious diseases.

The new organization will be created by merging the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, which researches pathogens, with the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, responsible for the treatment of infectious diseases.

The organization will collect information on infectious diseases at home and abroad, and address any arising situations in their early stages.

In the event of an emergency, the group will assess how lethal and contagious an infectious disease is at each of the following stages: when a new infectious disease occurs abroad, when a person is confirmed to be infected in Japan and when an epidemic breaks out in the country.

Based on the results of this risk assessment, a team will be formed to implement countermeasures.

The government will promptly select a president to lead the new organization and consider the size of the workforce needed, in preparation for its establishment in April 2025.

Japan was slow to respond to COVID-19. But with the merger of the institute and the center, the new group will provide a unified, accelerated response, from research to medical treatment.

The new organization is also expected to play a central role in the development of vaccines and therapeutic drugs, a process in which Japan lags behind other countries.