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What role can an airline play in the fight
against infectious diseases?

All Nippon Airways (ANA) handles air shipping operations for a range of industries. We are fully aware that global issues such as infectious diseases directly affect our business. Social responsibility is a priority. We have seen outbreaks of SARS, influenza, Ebola, and other emerging diseases, and in each case have made exhaustive efforts to minimize their impact on both business and human health. We have done this through compliance with airline-related safety policies and through airport quarantines. Meanwhile, we are always wondering, as a corporation, what else we can do.

In 2014, we learned about the GHIT Fund. We had heard about this Japan-based international fund that directly addressed the same infectious diseases we recognize as global and social problems. When we heard that sponsorship was possible, we thought, “it is imperative that we join forces.” While implementing emergency countermeasures after the outbreak of infectious diseases is important, it means a great deal to us that ANA’s resources might also be employed to support the creation of life-saving vaccines or to develop new drugs to treat infectious diseases.

What form does ANA’s sponsorship of GHIT take?

As a sponsor, we support travel to and from Japan for GHIT-funded overseas researchers and Selection Committee members. Many of these experts hail from across North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa.

We appreciate that information technology has made cross-border communication easy and that as a result traveling thousands of miles for meetings is not always necessary or economical. Nevertheless, we do believe that certain discussions should happen in person, and that indeed meeting face-to-face is sometimes the crucial way to advance key relationships and achieve transformational outcomes. We are very pleased that we can advance unique relationships between researchers and Selection Committee members from different countries, regions, and affiliated organizations. Their in-person discussions play a concrete role in advancing global health R&D.

ANA cannot create drugs or vaccines, but we can support the ecosystem for their creation by gathering those who can tangibly foster innovation and advance product-development.

What components of GHIT’s ethos most resonate with you?

We cannot predict exactly which infectious disease epidemics will hit, when, but we know more epidemics will come. I was impressed with GHIT CEO Dr. Slingsby’s comment: “We appreciate that the R&D process for new pharmaceutical process is long and arduous, but if the global community invests now we will be better equipped to face the challenges we know are coming.” We at ANA strongly identify with GHIT’s sense of urgency in executing on its mission and vision. We believe that private companies and organizations can work with the GHIT to address global health issues by using their own unique strengths to facilitate the creation of a sustainable society. That makes a great difference.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games will likely increase the flow of people coming in and going out of Japan. What if another infectious disease epidemic emerges somewhere in the world at that time? We are committed to placing the safety of everyone, including customers and crew, first by presuming that the outbreak of an infectious disease could occur any time and by regularly implementing various simulations and training exercises. Additionally, we intend to continue educational and advocacy activities both inside and outside the company regarding infectious diseases.

The affiliations and positions listed in this interview are at the time of publication of the interview in 2017.