A bit more on the Panasonic repatriation of families back to Japan:
Panasonic Orders Expat Families Home on Concern of Flu Pandemic [excerpt]
By Kanoko Matsuyama
Feb. 10 (Bloomberg) — Panasonic Corp., the world’s largest maker of consumer electronics, told Japanese employees in several emerging markets to send their families back to Japan on mounting concern about a potential influenza pandemic.
The company in December instructed staff assigned to parts of Asia, Africa, eastern Europe and South America to repatriate their families by September, Akira Kadota, a spokesman for Osaka- based Panasonic, said by telephone today. He declined to comment on the number of households affected.
Panasonic, which said last week it will cut about 15,000 jobs and report a loss this year, may be the first major company to order families home on concern people wouldn’t receive needed health care in case of a widespread flu outbreak. A pandemic could kill 71 million people worldwide and lead to a “major global recession” costing more than $3 trillion, according to a worst-case scenario outlined by the World Bank in October.
“This is part of our preparations for a new type of influenza,” Kadota said by telephone. “We chose areas after considering the prevalence of bird flu, and the capability of medical facilities and access to them.”
There is still no indication that this is anything other than forward thinking and precautionary. It also could reflect Panasonic’s concern about avian influenza in the food chains of countries thought to suffer endemic H5N1. The last statement in the above portion of the Bloomberg article would tend to lend credence to that line of speculation.
Speculation. Sometimes that’s all we have.
SZ
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