Prime Minister Suga Wants COVID-19 Vaccination In Japan To Be Completed In November

Perdana Menteri Jepang Yoshihide Suga. (Wikimedia Commons / Cabinet Public Relations Office)

JAKARTA - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expressed his desire to complete the COVID-19 vaccination for all Japanese citizens by November.

According to Kyodonews, Thursday, June 10, PM Suga's statement was one of his efforts to increase public support ahead of the General Election later this year.

Japan is targeting to give 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of June, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics being held on a smaller scale in anticipation of infection, PM Suga said before opposition leaders at a Japanese Parliament debate on Wednesday.

"We hope to complete all citizens who want to be vaccinated from October to November this year", said the prime minister, who took office last September.

Japan, which is known to have about 126 million inhabitants, is known to have only vaccinated about 4 percent of its citizens until last Tuesday, although the pace of the country's COVID-19 vaccination program has gradually increased. Although, the number is still very far from the UK and the United States.

Meanwhile, the actual number of people eligible for injections in Japan is smaller, due to Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine has only been approved for use in people 12 years of age and older, while Moderna Inc. is permitted for ages 18 and over.

Initially, the vaccination program in Japan was intended for health workers and people aged 65 years and over who are prone to severe symptoms. This month, the Government of Japan expanded vaccination coverage, targeting people with underlying diseases such as diabetes, as well as those with access to vaccination centers at work and university campuses.

"The situation has changed greatly since the vaccine became available. We will do our best to give the injections", said PM Suga, who is also the leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

Yesterday's meeting and debate with parliament, the first since June 2019, Suga faced off against Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, who criticized him for not having a sense of crisis in his response to the pandemic. And, prematurely lifted the previous state of emergency in Tokyo and several other areas.

Tokyo 2020 Olympics illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Real Estate Japan)

"You cannot redeem lives once they are lost. Politics cannot be held responsible for lives lost, and the prime minister is not aware enough of this", criticized Edano, calling for a change of government.

Suga did not say when he planned to dissolve the House of Representatives for the general election, reiterating that his priority was controlling COVID-19.

Elections must be held before the current term of the lower house members expires in October, while the prime minister must urgently seek a new mandate from voters before his term as LDP Chair ends in September.

However, public support for Suga has fallen amid discontent over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with his Cabinet's approval rating dropping to 41.1 percent in a Kyodo News poll in May compared to 44.0 percent the previous month.

Regarding the Olympics, PM Suga confirmed that he would resume preparations despite strong public opposition. In which 60 percent of the Japanese population in the May poll wanted the Olympics to be postponed.

"I want to send a message from Japan, the world has faced the difficulties brought by the new coronavirus and overcome them unitedly", Suga said, saying he would reduce the number of Olympic officials, workers, and members of the press from abroad, to ensure public health and safety.

Asked by the chairman of the Japanese Communist Party, Kazuo Shii, whether staging the Olympics was worth the risk to public health. PM Suga straightforwardly answered.

"Protecting people's lives and safety is my responsibility", he said.