Society

IOC to provide Tokyo Olympic athletes with Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses

May 07 (Kyodo) - The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday it will provide athletes attending this summer's Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics with doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, free of charge.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved in Japan, although its rollout has been progressing slowly. The IOC has insisted that participants at this summer's Olympics and Paralympics need not be vaccinated to participate.

According to the IOC statement, the vaccine doses donated by the U.S. and German companies will be made available to national Olympic committees to be distributed in coordination with their local governments.

Japan plans to finish inoculating those 65 and over by the end of July. The Olympics opening ceremony is scheduled for July 23.

Both Japan and the IOC have indicated that athletes not be given preferential access to vaccines, which Japanese Paralympic Committee President Mitsunori Torihara reiterated Thursday following the IOC announcement.

According to Marukawa, the vaccines would be available at the end of this month, and Japan could expect enough doses to inoculate 1,000 athletes and another 1,500 coaches.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

Yamagata University, which has been conducting research on the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, announced the discovery of over 300 new geoglyphs, depicting a variety of subjects, including humans and animals.

University of Tokyo Raises Tuition Fees for First Time in 20 Years

The University of Tokyo has officially decided to increase tuition by approximately 110,000 yen for incoming undergraduate students starting next academic year, bringing the total to 642,960 yen.

Death toll rises to 9 in Japan's Ishikawa following heavy rain

Emergency officials say the death toll from record rainfall in Japan's Ishikawa Prefecture has risen to nine. (NHK)

Russian military plane intrudes into Japanese airspace, Tokyo lodges protest

A Japanese government spokesperson says a Russian military airplane entered Japanese airspace three times on Monday. (NHK)

Kishida vows in meeting with Zelenskyy continued support for Ukraine

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has conveyed his country's intention to maintain support for Ukraine to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (NHK)

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Woman in Floral Mini-Skirt Targets Zoo Outlets with Mysterious Tape

Strange incidents involving a woman placing black tape on outlets have been occurring around zoos in the Izu area of Shizuoka Prefecture.

Japanese Households with Buddhist Altars Has Drastically Decreased

As the number of households with Buddhist altars continues to decline, largely due to space limitations in modern housing, wholesalers of Buddhist goods are struggling with unsold inventory.

Twelve Referred to Prosecutors for Alleged Abuse at Kuwana Festival Horse Event

Twelve individuals involved in the traditional 'Ageuma Shinji' horse event held last year at Tado Shrine in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture, have been referred to prosecutors on allegations of violent behavior toward horses, including forcing them up steep slopes.