Japan’s Olympics Go Vaccine or Go Home?
Tokyo’s got a new twist on the game plan. On April 13, a health adviser—Nobuhiko Okabe—told Reuters that if the athletes in Japan’s Olympic squad are itching for a Covid shot, they can get one. But the government, still sweating over a slow rollout for the general public, isn’t making it mandatory.
The Back‑and‑Forth
Just two days before that, the press was all over a rumor that the Japanese Olympic committee would offer every Olympian a vaccine by the end of June. The backlash was swift: social media users called it “back‑firing” while most of the country was still waiting for the first jab.
Okabe, who steered Japan’s 2009 H1N1 strategy and is an infectious disease savant, said he’d be glad to keep the option open for them. “I think we should absolutely suggest getting immunised—especially for the athletes,” he said. But no one is forced to link arm or heart.
Open‑Mind Choices
Okabe made sure transparency ran deep: if a sportsperson refuses the vaccine for health concerns or religious reasons, that decision is respected.
Meanwhile, the country’s labour of love—about 1.1 million health‑care workers—has received at least one dose of the Pfizer‑BioNTech jab. Yet, the old‑fashioned influenza vibe of January is still in motion as the elderly get their turns this Monday, with a wait for the rest until the late summer or even winter, thanks to a stock‑pile lag.
The Bigger Picture
Okabe’s laughs in the lab are not just about Academy Olympics. He’s looking at the real cause: Japan’s licensing hurdles that hamper drug releases—what he calls a “big headache” in case of urgent health crises.
Jesus, the country has only one approved Covid vaccine to date. To add context, only about 0.9 % of Japan’s 126 million has the shot, compared to 2.2 % in South Korea and a whopping 36 % in the United States.
So, whether the athletes get their tides of immunity or not, one thing’s clear: Japan’s health recipe is still simmering.
Quick Takeaway
- Olympians have the choice to get vaccinated.
- Vaccination isn’t compulsory.
- The country’s major vaccination lag continues.
