Japan has kicked off its mass vaccination program through the opening of inoculation centers in Tokyo and Osaka, but fears about how the pandemic will influence the upcoming Olympics are still rife.
Tokyo and Oska Centers Open
The vaccination centers' opening in Tokyo and Osaka Monday are part of Japan's vaccination program that seeks to get up to 10,000 people in Tokyo per day. For Osaka, the goal is to 5,000 vaccinated residents.
Japan has been lagging behind in vaccinating eligible residents compared to the progress of other developed countries.
Should the Tokyo and Osaka centers achieve its daily vaccination targets, Japan is expected to reach its goal of getting people aged 65 and older vaccinated by the end of July.
The country officially started its vaccination program in February, wherein healthcare workers were prioritized. However, since the start of the program, only around four percent of the total Japanese population has received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Tokyo and Osaka will use the Moderna-developed COVID-19 vaccine after it was approved by the Japanese government late last week.
IOC Official: Olympics Must Push Through
International Olympics Committee (IOC) vice president in charge of the Tokyo Olympics, John Coates, said the Games, which is scheduled to begin on July 23, should still push through.
Coates said the IOC has outlined measures based on advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) so as to ensure that the end result will be "a safe and secure Games in terms of health."
The IOC senior official's statements were made after several Japanese prefectures, including Tokyo and Osaka, were placed under a state of emergency due to an increase in new COVID-19 cases.
Aside from concerns about a rise in coronavirus cases in the country, there are also concerns about the small percentage of vaccinated people in Japan.
The OIC is expected to make a final decision at the end of June on whether the Games will be pushed back to a later date or not.
Masayoshi Son Calls Out 'Laggard' Vaccination Program
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son did not hold back on Twitter when he called out the slow progress of vaccinations in the country.
In a series of tweets during the weekend, Son said Japan was a "vaccine laggard," adding that "more than 80% of people want the Olympics to be postponed or canceled."
Son also questioned "on what authority" will the Olympics be pursued this year even with apparent opposition not just from the business circle but also from the concerned public.
The billionaire went on to project that if a variant of COVID-19 breaks out during the Olympics, "lives could be lost." Finally, he said that if the government and the IOC considers "what the public has to endure, I think we could have a lot more to lose."
Son's statements echoed a recent Reuters corporate survey that found almost 70% of local companies would rather see the Games canceled or postponed until the COVID-19 situation in Japan improves.
