Japan is working closely with the International Olympic Committee to prepare for the Games, and despite concerns about Covid-19 cases, there are no plans to postpone it, the Japanese vaccination minister said.
“Unless we decide otherwise, we just have to prepare for the Games, how to control the situation. I think it changes almost every day, so they need to be prepared for that. But I don’t think they’re thinking of postponing it. “Taro Kono told CNBC’s Martin Soong on Wednesday.
The Olympic torch was removed from public streets in Osaka on Wednesday, while the prefecture declared a state of emergency after coronavirus cases reached record levels.
“Yes, the situation (Osaka) is particularly worrying,” said Kono, who is also a minister for regulatory reform. A new virus variant similar to the one first discovered in the UK is “spreading rapidly” in Osaka, he added.
“We have identified a similar mutation in Tokyo, so we are worried (that) Tokyo may follow Osaka in a few weeks. So we need to be careful about the situation,” he said.
A man wearing a face mask stands behind the Olympic symbols of the five interwoven rings, presented near the national stadium in Tokyo.
James Matsumoto, SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images
The population of Osaka is much smaller than Tokyo, but the city reported 878 new cases on April 7, compared to 555 in Tokyo on the same day.
The Summer Olympics will officially begin in Tokyo on July 23, just over 100 days away. They were postponed last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the Games will be greatly reduced compared to previous years, as international spectators have been denied access to the country due to concerns about Covid-19.
“Well, unfortunately, we may not have that many spectators watching the match at the stadium, but most people are going to watch TV anyway,” Kono said.
Delays in launching vaccines in Japan
Japan is set to vaccinate the country’s elderly on Monday, moving to the next stage of its vaccine launch, which has been hampered by delays in vaccine delivery.
Less than 1% of the population has been vaccinated so far, according to Kono – but he hopes the inoculations will take place in mid-May when vaccines arrive in the European Union.
“Unfortunately, we have not been able to develop a vaccine domestically and we have to rely on imports (of the vaccine) from the EU,” Kono said. “Right now, we have authorized the Pfizer vaccine and it will start on Monday for the future old man.”
He said the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca would be “very important” because it would be made in Japan, which would eliminate some negotiations.
His interview came hours before EU and UK drug regulators announced on Wednesday that there could be a possible link between the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine and rare blood clotting problems. Both regulators, however, stressed that the benefits of administering the vaccine still outweigh the risks.
My job is to get the vaccine to come to Japan from Europe and to vaccinate as many people as possible.
Tara Kono
Japanese Minister of Vaccines
“The biggest headache for me is to go through the (transparency mechanism) of the EU,” Kono said, referring to a measure that allows EU member states to impose restrictions on vaccine exports.
“If we had (a) domestic vaccine or vaccine produced in the country … more than half of my headache (would) be gone,” he said.
Asked if his treatment of the coronavirus outbreak in Japan could affect his chances of becoming the next prime minister, Kono declined.
“My job is to get the vaccine to come to Japan from Europe and (vaccinate) as many people as possible,” he said. “You don’t have to think about the premiere. You just have to do your job, protect (people’s) lives.”