Guideline for Disease Control of Aquatic Animals.

This Guideline for Disease Control of Aquatic Animals aims at regulating aquatic animals imported to Japan which have been diversifying new infectious diseases that have a high risk of causing substantial damage to the aquatic fisheries. It is essential to establish a system to prevent fishery epidemics that stops the invasion of these diseases into Japan and, if such a disease occurs, to detect the occurrence at an early stage and minimizes the damage by promptly taking measures to prevent the spread of the disease. For this reason, in August 2014, the Fisheries Disease Control Expert Council was established to collect disease related information more broadly from within and outside Japan and to conduct a risk assessment based on scientific knowledge. The established disease control system and roles of stakeholders in all relevant sectors must cooperate in order to prevent the occurrence of diseases that are subject to import quarantine and specified diseases, or other important diseases in Japan and to take control measures promptly and accurately when such diseases occur.