The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Action Plan for 2023

Sort through the socially disadvantaged and provide appropriate assistance, all while vigorously responding to new welfare demands. Add new indicators for warning indications of crisis (from 39 to 44 categories) to accurately discover homes in crisis; such data include records of help for catastr...

JAPAN TO STUDY EFFECT OF PFIZER’S COVID-19 VACCINE ON ITS CITIZENS

Highlights –

• Japan to study effect of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine on its citizens.
• The study is targeted for around 1,500 people separated into two groups.
• The government also plans to conduct similar studies on Moderna Inc. and A...

LOCAL GOVT. IN JAPAN WORKING THROUGH TO MINIMIZE COVID-19 VACCINE WASTAGE

Highlights –

• Local govt. in Japan working through to minimize COVID-19 vaccine wastage.
• The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has requested local govts. to adopt flexible measures.
• Some have been instructed to use surplus doses to...

JAPAN GOVT. APPROVES PFIZER’S COVID-19 VACCINES FOR 12-15 YEAR OLD

Highlights –

• Japan govt. approves Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines for 12-15 year old.
• The age group will be able to receive shots free of charge.
• Only around 6% of the country's population of 126 million has been given at least o...

JAPAN’S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE ROSE TO 2.8 PERCENT IN APRIL

Highlights –

• Japan’s unemployment rate rose to 2.8 percent in April.
• The jobless rate in March climbed from 2.6 percent mark.
• Accommodation and restaurant services lost 200,000 workers.
• The gender gap in the jobless r...

JAPAN GOVT. TO SET ASIDE $4.7 BILLION FOR FY 2021 IN RESERVE FUNDS

Highlights –

• Japan govt. to set aside $4.7 billion for FY 2021 in reserve funds.
• The funds will be earmarked to purchase more COVID-19 vaccines.
• Pfizer is expected to supply 50 million doses from July through September.
• Jap...

TAIWAN PRESIDENT REASSURES PUBLIC OF HANDLING COVID-19 CASES WELL

Highlights –

• Taiwan president reassures public of handling COVID-19 cases well.
• Taiwan reported 6 local COVID-19 cases recently.
• 5 cases were discovered in a gaming cafe in Yilan county on Taiwan's eastern coast.
• On Tue...

JAPAN GOVT. PLANS TO INTRODUCE ‘VACCINE PASSPORTS’ TO TRAVEL ABROAD

Highlights –

• Japan govt. plans to introduce ‘vaccine passports’ to travel abroad.
• The government is introducing the plan in the hope of resuming business travel.
• The passports will be in digital form, available in a smartp...

JAPAN REVISES CIRCULAR ON COVID-19 VARIANT ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS

Highlights –

• Japan revises circular on COVID-19 variant asymptomatic patients.
• The ministry of health has advised asymptomatic and mildly ill patients to recuperate at accommodation facilities.
• The ministry is also considering the est...

A JAPANESE HOSPITAL FINDS WAY TO EXTRACT SIXTH DOSE OF PFIZER VACCINE

Highlights –

• A Japanese hospital finds way to extract sixth dose of Pfizer vaccine.
• Tottori Prefectural Government and Tottori Prefectural Kousei Hospital announced the same.
• The hospital found a method to use six-dose per vial of Pfi...

BREWERS IN JAPAN TO DISPLAY ALCOHOL CONTENT IN DRINKS BY GRAMS

Highlights –

• Brewers in Japan to display alcohol content in drinks by grams.
• The Japanese govt. plans to ask the liquor industry to display how much alcohol is actually contained in products.
• The request is part of the government'...

JAPAN ANNOUNCES 2ND BATCH OF PFIZER’S COVID-19 VACCINE TO ARRIVE ON SUNDAY

Highlights –

• Japan announces 2nd batch of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to arrive on Sunday.
• Taro Kono, the minister responsible for vaccination efforts announced the same.
• As of Thursday, around 611 people have been vaccinated acro...

JAPAN GOVT. REPORTS TECHNICAL ERROR IN ITS COVID-19 CONTACT TRACING APP

Highlights –

• Japan govt. reports technical error in its COVID-19 contact tracing app.
• The app in smartphones using Apple’s iOS operating system has faced technical issues.
• The Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare have st...

3 RESIDENTS IN KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE TEST POSITIVE WITH BRITAIN COVID-19 VARIANT

Highlights –

• 3 residents in Kagoshima prefecture test positive with Britain COVID-19 variant.
• The case is the first for the southwestern Japan prefecture.
• The 3 residents are said to have developed the symptoms in early February.

COVID-19 VACCINATION OF ELDERLY PEOPLE IN JAPAN LIKELY TO BE DELAYED

Highlights –

• COVID-19 vaccination of elderly people in Japan likely to be delayed.
• The initially anticipated date for inoculating elderly people was April.
• Japan govt. is unsure about the subsequent shipments of the vaccines due to t...

LOCAL GOVERNORS IN JAPAN ASK CENTRAL GOVT. TO PROVIDE COVID-19 VACCINE PLANS

Highlights –

• Local governors in Japan ask central govt. to provide COVID-19 vaccine plans.
• The central govt. has so far not provided any details of when the vaccines will be available.
• The National Governors' Association vowed to ...

JAPAN HEALTH MINISTRY REPORTS LESS THAN 1% OF PEOPLE HAD COVID-19 ANTIBODIES

Highlights –

• Japan Health Ministry reports less than 1% of people had COVID-19 antibodies.
• The govt. conducted tests of about 15,000 individuals at the end of 2020.
• Five prefectures participated in the antibodies test.
• In T...

SHIZUOKA PREFECTURE IN JAPAN ISSUES COVID-19 EMERGENCY ALERT OVER NEW VARIANT

Highlights –

• Shizuoka prefecture in Japan issues COVID-19 emergency alert over new variant.
• The governor of Shizuoka, Heira Kawakatsu announced the alert at a press conference.
• However, the transmission routes of the new COVID-19 vari...

JAPAN REPORTS 3 PEOPLE HAVING CONTRACTED NEW STRAIN OF COVID-19

Highlights –

• Japan reports 3 people having contracted new strain of COVID-19.
• The source of the new strain is however unknown.
• Health authorities believe they contracted the virus through community transmission.
• A total of ...

JAPAN TO COLLECT DATA OF PEOPLE INFECTED WITH COVID-19 EVEN AFTER VACCINATION

Highlights –

• Japan to collect data of people infected with COVID-19 even after vaccination.
• The health ministry will prepare a system to gather vaccination records of all infected people.
• It will then evaluate the effectiveness of the...