Japan uses Unique Strategy for Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution! Will Other Countries Follow Japan? Details

Japan is currently taking an aggressive step towards obtaining enough coronavirus vaccines to inoculate its population. The government has in fact acquired enough vaccines to vaccinate its population four times over. 

Like other high- income countries, Japan has been signing multiple deals since few vaccines fail in clinical trials or need more than one dose. 

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been aiming to bring athletes and fans to Tokyo for the Olympics in 2021. This is another reason behind Japanese government acquiring vaccines at such a large scale. 

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suge told the media that Japan is working in association with Olympic organizers to plan how to proceed with the games while trying to secure a vaccine.

The various companies "will probably be able to produce a vaccine between the end of this year and next March," Suga told Reuters in an interview this week. "There are a lot of considerations, but we want to hold the Olympics at all costs."

Japan is likely to have 521 million doses of five different vaccines in 2021, compared with a population of 126 million. They have struck deals with drug makers such as Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca PLC, as well as local deals with the likes of Shionogi & Co. 

Some critics are of the view that Japan’s rush to secure vaccine supplies is largely driven by political desire to display that it is committed to hosting the games.

"The plan is, hope for a miracle and then capitalise on that miracle. But the timeframe for that is getting narrower and narrower. " said Michael Cucek, a political science professor at Temple University Japan.

"Health ministry and Cabinet Office officials did not respond to queries about whether Japan's drive to secure coronavirus vaccines was connected to the Olympics. Japanese officials have discussed putting on a "simplified" Games, originally expected to attract 600,000 visitors. But the event would still involve some 11,000 athletes from around the world,” Livemint cited in its report.