Olympics: Japan urges EU to deliver corona vaccine

In an interview with the AP news agency on Monday, Japan's vaccination minister Taro Kono urged the EU to ensure stable exports to Japan in view of bottlenecks in Europe. Otherwise there could be damage to the relationships. Japan, which began the vaccination process much later than other countries, plans to open the Tokyo Olympics on July 23. Japan's government had declared that it would go ahead with the games in the summer even without vaccinations against the coronavirus. But it is uncertain whether the country will receive the number of vaccine doses planned by then. So far, Japan has only approved the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine and is therefore dependent on imports from the EU. Kono stated that the Olympic Games played no role in the government's vaccination plans. However, he was "extremely concerned that our friendly relations between Japan and the EU would be affected if a shipment (to Japan) was suspended," Minister Kono was quoted as saying. Although Japan has repeatedly asked the EU for an overall approval for the export of the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine, the EU continues to only grant approval for each individual delivery of the vaccine. A so-called herd immunity by the time of the Olympic Games is now considered almost impossible in Japan. In order to protect its own people against the spread of the coronavirus, Japan has already banned foreign fans, athletes' families and most international helpers from the games. The number of official guests should also be significantly limited. Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have ruled out compulsory vaccination. However, they are urging that as many people involved as possible get vaccinated voluntarily.

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Olympics: Japan urges EU to deliver corona vaccine

Japan warned the European Union about delays in the delivery of corona vaccines almost four months after the Tokyo Olympics.

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