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Biden, Secretary of State Blinken eager to visit Japan
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that he and President Joe Biden hope to visit Japan as the two countries continue to deepen their ties, issuing a message of congratulations for the Japanese emperor s 61st birthday.
Recalling with great fondness previous visits to Japan during their respective former tenures as deputy secretary of state and vice president, Blinken said the two are eager to visit Japan again.
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his inaugural address in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. (Getty/Kyodo)
He also said the U.S.-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific, referring to a concept that has evolved amid China s rise.
Japan minister warns of slower pace of COVID vaccine shots for elderly
Inoculations of Japan s elderly against the novel coronavirus will start in April as planned but at a slower pace, the minister in charge of the inoculation rollout said Sunday as the country received its second shipment of Pfizer Inc. s vaccine.
Citing what he said was a delay until May of a production capacity increase by Pfizer, Taro Kono, the administrative and regulatory reform minister, said supply of the vaccine will be very limited until April, adding, We will start (vaccination of the elderly) little by little and expand it slowly.
Japan to receive 2nd shipment of Pfizer vaccine on Feb. 21
Japan will receive its second shipment of Pfizer Inc. s COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Friday, as the rollout gradually expands to hospitals across the country.
Taro Kono said at a press conference the shipment of up to 452,790 doses is set to arrive after the European Union gave approval under its new vaccine export controls.
Japan, which received its first shipment of up to 386,100 doses from Pfizer s factory in Belgium last week, launched its vaccination program on Wednesday for an initial group of 40,000 health care workers, which first started in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Japan s COVID-19 vaccine rollout expands beyond Tokyo area
Japan expanded its COVID-19 vaccine rollout beyond the Tokyo metropolitan area on Thursday, with health workers set to be inoculated at 100 hospitals across the country by next week.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga inspected the program at the Tokyo Medical Center, the first institution to begin administering Pfizer Inc. s vaccine the previous day. I felt that health workers are placing much hope on vaccinations, he said after speaking with staff at the state-run hospital. I hope to deliver vaccines to people nationwide as soon as possible.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga watches a person being vaccinated at Tokyo Medical Center on Feb. 18, 2021. (Kyodo)