April 28 (Bloomberg) -- Japan will suspend visa-free entry for Mexican nationals and advise its own citizens to defer trips to the Latin American nation, the center of a global swine-flu outbreak.

Mexicans will have to provide a doctor’s note and fill in a health form to obtain a visa, Foreign Ministry official Kazuhiko Ono said by telephone in Tokyo today. Japan’s consulates in Mexico may only accept applications by mail to avoid physical contact, Ono said.

Japan’s measures to prevent infection follow the World Health Organization raising the alarm on swine flu yesterday to level 4 from 3, saying the disease is no longer containable. It is the highest level since the warning system was adopted in 2005.

A Japanese government taskforce formed by Prime Minister Taro Aso met today to discuss the outbreak. Japan has so far reported no cases.

Japan raised its alert to respond to the disease, recognizing swine flu as a new type of influenza, Health Minister Yoichi Masuzoe said today. Officials will strengthen on-flight passenger screening, he said.

Japan will also tighten quarantine requirements for ships traveling from Mexico, Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura told reporters in Tokyo without providing details.

Potential South Korea Case

There have been 40 cases of the swine flu reported in the U.S., and flu-related deaths reached 149 in Mexico. South Korea is testing a patient suspected of contracting the virus, according to its Ministry of Health.

Mexico is one of 62 countries and regions whose residents don’t need a visa for short-term visits to Japan, according to the Foreign Ministry’s Web site.

The passenger screening will affect people arriving from the U.S. and Canada, expanding from checks taken on flights from Mexico, Masuzoe said. The government today advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Mexico and other affected countries, but isn’t placing formal restrictions, he said. Geneva-based WHO isn’t recommending travel restrictions.

“We will consider the details of how strongly we do screening because flights from the U.S. are more frequent,” Mazuzoe said. “We want to minimize the impact while we protect the safety of our nationals.”

Producing Vaccine

Japan also plans to produce influenza vaccine once it obtains the swine-flu strain, according to a statement from the special taskforce. Japan makes seasonal flu vaccines for about 25 million people annually.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry yesterday sent 2,300 treatments of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to Mexico for use by Japanese nationals, the Yomiuri newspaper reported today.

The Japanese Embassy in Mexico has enough Tamiflu for another 2,300 people, the report said. About 6,000 Japanese nationals live in Mexico and tourists visiting the country number several hundred people at any given time, the newspaper said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sachiko Sakamaki in Tokyo at Ssakamaki1@bloomberg.net; Kanoko Matsuyama in Tokyo at kmatsuyama2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 28, 2009 01:05 EDT