Under the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry's plan, the target individuals for the booster shots are likely those who got their second dose roughly eight months prior or earlier.... For individuals who received their second dose some time ago, local governments will confirm their vaccination history on the central government's Vaccination Record System as well as on vaccine ledgers and send out vouchers in stages.... For those who have moved to a different municipality since their second dose

Shigeru Omi, head of the government's coronavirus countermeasures subcommittee, is seen in this December 2020 file photo taken in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.... At present, to ensure safe use of the antibody cocktail treatment, it is only approved for administration to inpatients at medical institutions and other recovery accommodation facilities who can be observed for a specified period of time.... But with surging infections, more and more COVID-19 patients are recovering at home, and Tamura anno

The Imperial Palace grounds, foreground, and central Tokyo are seen in this September 2021 file photo taken from a Mainichi Shimbun helicopter.... The omicron variant was discovered in late November--first in South Africa and then in other places around the world including countries in Europe.... Meanwhile, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a Dec....

Staffers checking tickets and vaccination certificates are seen at the entrance of a venue for the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Kitakyushu's Kokurakita Ward, on Oct.... The government is considering reviewing these restrictions in response to the increasing vaccination rate and decreasing COVID-19 cases.... If an infection prevention plan is in place, admission of up to 10, 000 people will be allowed under a state of emergency, and 20, 000 under a quasi-state of emergency....

The survey results were rounded up by Koji Wada, professor of public health at the International University of Health and Welfare in Japan.... While 75% of the respondents had gotten at least their first doses, Wada said," By providing appropriate information, the vaccination rate may increase by about 10 percentage points in the future." The survey was conducted online from Oct.... A total of 10.5% answered they" want to think a bit more" about getting vaccinated....

Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Norihisa Tamura is seen speaking to remote participants at a meeting of the ministry's expert Advisory Board on coronavirus policy, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, on Aug.... The most recent weekly new infections per 100, 000 of population showed 31 of Japan's 47 prefectures over the 25 cases or more criterion for a state of emergency declaration, also known as Stage 4, marked by an explosive rise in infections.... The coronavirus delta variant now makes up 95% of

Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Norihisa Tamura, left, and Shigeru Omi, right, head of the Japanese government's coronavirus countermeasures subcommittee, are seen during the subcommittee's meeting in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Sept.... Members of the coronavirus countermeasures subcommittee, including chairman Shigeru Omi, have discussed the matter since around July.... The Japanese government has finally begun to move toward reviving economic activity while also adopting infection counter

Shigeru Omi, chairman of the government's COVID-19 response subcommittee, meets reporters in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Aug.... " You'd better not have your name on those recommendations," a ruling Liberal Democratic Party( LDP) lawmaker was quoted as telling one of the experts on the Advisory Board of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare over the phone in early June.... I want you to avoid rocking the boat." The expert, recalling the conversation, told the Mainichi Shimbun," I thought,' Wha