Claims that Japan will soon experience an outbreak of the contagious pathogen nicknamed SARS are largely exaggerated, according to Koizumi’s government.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare downplayed suggestions that ‘severe acute respiratory syndrome’ was poised to spread into Japan’s to date uninfected population after a Taiwanese doctor was found to be carrying the flu-like disease when on a six day sightseeing visit to Osaka, Kyoto, Kagawa and Hyogo prefectures between May 8 to May 13.

Fears of an epidemic were reduced after it was found the doctor had limited ‘intimate’ contact with Japanese.

A health ministry official said: ‘We feel the possibility of secondary infection is low.’

According to the Asahi newspaper, the driver of the bus chartered by the young doctor’s group has been hospitalised with a fever.

But experts says the fever ins unlikely to be SARS as it is abating. The illness is likely to be pharyngitis, they said.

Taiwan has the world’s third-highest number of SARS deaths and infections after mainland China and Hong Kong.

The 26-year old doctor is currently in isolation in Taipei.

Dr. Eugene Y.H.Chien, Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said he was sorry the man had traveled to Japan: ‘I apologize that this has caused anxiety and confusion in the lives of Japanese people.’