Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a COVID-19 state of emergency for Tokyo that will run through the entirety of the Summer Olympics. The decree, which lasts until Aug. 22, will bar all spectators from participating in the games. Suga’s announcement was triggered by the delta variant’s proliferation in Tokyo, exacerbated by persistently low vaccination rates. Only around 23 percent of Japan’s population has been fully vaccinated—the lowest figure in the G-7.
Despite the worsening pandemic at home, Japan’s vaccine diplomacy has gained traction thanks to the country’s desire to burnish its image as a humanitarian aid donor and capitalize on China’s faltering vaccine diplomacy. On June 16, Japan supplied 1 million locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Vietnam. A week later, the country pledged 2 million additional AstraZeneca doses to Taiwan and Vietnam, and 1 million doses each to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Japan has also provided $14.8 million in medical equipment to India and donated another $9.3 million in cold storage facilities for India’s vaccines. Beyond the Indo-Pacific region, Japan has provided $39 million in grants to the United Nations Children’s Fund, which expands Africa and Latin America’s access to vaccines, and recently unveiled the COVID-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan for developing countries.
