GENERAL HEADQUARTERS
SUPREME COMMANDER FOR THE ALLIED POWERS

APO 500
20 October 1945

AG 720 (20 Oct 45) PH
(SCAPIN-167)

MEMORANDUM FOR	THE IMPERIAL JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
THROUGH	Central Liaison Office, Tokyo
SUBJECT	Medical and Sanitary Procedures for Debarkation and Port Sanitation in Repatriation.

1. The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers directs the Imperial Japanese Government to carry out the following medical and sanitary procedures as a minimum upon the arrival in Japan from abroad of any Japanese repatriate.
a. Procedures with respect to all repatriates will provide for:
(1) Physical inspection for detection of louse-infestation and of cases and suspects of quarantinable disease (cholera, plague, smallpox, louse-borre typhus, yellow fever) or of communicable disease which might prejudice the health of subsequent contacts.
(2) Hospitalization or other effective segregation of persons known or suspected to be infected with quarantinable or significant communicable disease, until communicability has passed.
(3) Appropriate measures for continued observation of persons known to have had contact with quarantinable disease of a type liable to convey infection. Observation will continue during the incubation period of the disease concerned, calculated from the day of last possible contact. For purposes of this requirement the following incubation periods will be observed: smallpox, 14 days; louse-borne typhus, 12 days; plague, 6 days; yellow fever, 6 days; cholera, 5 days. In accordance with risk involved the appropriate measures may vary from detention under observation to notification to and surveillance by responsible public health officials in areas to which repatriates will travel during the possible incubation periods. Notification should include cases of significant communicable disease, the institutionalization of which is not immediately practicable (i. e., leprosy, tuberculosis, etc).
(4) Disinfestation, by methods approved by this headzuarters of all persons from Sakhalin (Kara futo), Kurile Islands (Chishima Retto), Russia, Manchuria, Korea, China, and other areas in which louse-borne typhus is known to be occurring; also of all persons found infested with lice upon arrival from other areas or who have been in contact enroute with persons from the above designated areas.
Disinfestation will include the clothing of such persons, and other articles susceptible to infestation.
(5) Such additional protective measures with respect to contacts with quarantinable disease, as for instance immunication against smallpox, as are applicable and feasible to diminish likelihood of transmission of discase.
(6) Appropriate modification of the above requirements, when approved by this headquarters, in consideration of administration of approved immunegens, or of disinfestation by approved methods, before departure from abroad or enrouto, providing these procedures are accontably certified.
Immunizations will be considered valid for this purpose not to exceed the following periods: smallpox, 1 year; louse-borne typhus, 6‘months; cholera, 4 months; yellow fever, 5 years.
(7) Maintonance of records required to comply with international quarantine procedure.
b. procedures with respect to Japanese vessels only will prolevide for:
(1) Inspection for rodent infestation aboard vessels arriving from areas in which plague is known to be occurring or is considered endemic, including the Asiatic mainland (including Korea), Formosa, Lutch Best Indies, Burma, India, Thailand, Nalay States, Singapore, French Indo-China.
(2) Fumigation, by cyanide, sulphur dioxide, or other method submitted to and approved in advance by this headquarters, of those Japanes vessels indiecated in par. 1-b (1) in which here is an excessive rodent colony as determined by international quarantine standards or which have had contact with shore likely to permit access of rodents in ports in which plague is known to be occurring; also of vessels in which rodent plague has occurred since last previous fumigation.
(3) Rat-trapping in all vessels in which the rodent colony is excessive in accordance with international quarantine standards and in which fumigation is not carried out.
(4) Appropriate examination for infection with plague of all rodents recovered after fumigation or by trapping aboard vessels.
(5) Those additional measures which are applicable to prevent spread of plague, including anchorage in stream with debarkation by lighter, fending off from wharves, application of effective rat-guards to lines, policing of gang-planks and cargo nets, necessary precautions with respect to cargo which have harbor rats or fleas from areas infected with plague, and appropriate disinfection or disinfestation of personal effects, linen, or other articles which may be infected or infested through contact with persons or rodents infected with quarantinable disease, and of parts of vessels or aircraft which may be similarly affected.
(6) Other sanitary measures approved by this headquarters as appropriate for control of disease aboard conveyances, including assurance of safe drinking water and proper disposal of wastes,
(7) Maintenance of records required to comply with international quarantine procedure,
c. Procedures with respect to ports:
(1) A continuing program of rodent control and sampling autopsies of rodents for detection of rodent plague in harbors used in repatriation movements, especially in traffic from areas specified in par. 1-b (1), with maintenance of appropriate records.
2. Additional measures of port sanitary control, including in particular, investigation of enteric infections not including cholera, or of malaria, venereal disease, etc,, may he carried out by the Imperial Japanese Government as desired and feasible, providing at all times the flow of repatriation is not thereby impeded.

FOR THE SUPREME COMMANDER:

H.W.ALLEN,
Colonel, A. G. D.,
Asst Adjutant General,