With Japan lagging behind other wealthy nations in its COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics just two months away, the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is intent on accelerating the nation¡¯s inoculation campaign. It has set for itself the rather ambitious goal of giving the nation¡¯s population of older residents 1 million shots per day and give all 36 million of them a chance to get vaccinated by the end of July.
The 1 million shots a day goal, and the extent to which the central government has cracked the whip on municipalities, are the latest manifestations of Suga¡¯s apparent frustration with the nation¡¯s slow-starting vaccination campaign.
Local governments will be vital in Japan¡¯s endeavor to accomplish the target.
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