Society

Japan administers 1st Moderna vaccine shots to SDF members

May 24 (Japan Today) - The Defense Ministry said Sunday it administered Moderna Inc.'s coronavirus vaccine among Self-Defense Forces members, the first confirmed use of the vaccine in Japan.

The vaccine developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company was granted fast-track approval by the Japanese government on Friday along with one provided by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc.

The ministry vaccinated SDF doctors and nurses as well as private nurses who will work at the centers which will open in Tokyo and Osaka on Monday for inoculations of the elderly. They will use the Moderna vaccine at the venues.

Japan now has three available vaccines, also including one developed by U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech SE already in use.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Imperial Family Pays Tribute to War Victims

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.

First Snow Caps Mount Fuji, 15 Days Earlier Than Last Year

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Tokyo’s Aging Expressway Reborn After Major Overhaul

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New Cabinet Takes On 'Takaichi Color'

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Hokkaido Launches Mass Culling After Bird Flu Detected

Authorities in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, have begun culling approximately 460,000 laying hens after a poultry farm in the region’s Iburi area confirmed infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza, marking the first confirmed outbreak of the season in Japan.

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