Japan had weak basis for ordering 882 mil. COVID vaccine doses: audit
Japan's audit board has requested the health ministry provide supporting documentation for contracts with U.S and British coronavirus vaccine manufacturers after finding a weak basis for ordering a total of 882 million doses in fiscal 2020 and 2021.
The report released Wednesday by the Board of Audit of Japan also found that at least 30 percent of the doses were either canceled or disposed of after expiring.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare spent a total of 4.20 trillion yen ($32 billion) in the two years, with the cost of securing vaccines accounting for 2.40 trillion yen of the amount.
In contracts signed between October 2020 and March 2022, Japan ordered 399 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc., 213 million doses from Moderna Inc., 120 million doses from Astra Zeneca Plc, and 150 million doses from Novavax Inc.
But only around 296 million doses of Pfizer, 83.12 million doses of Moderna, 120,000 doses of AstraZeneca and 290,000 doses of Novavax had been administered as of the end of January. ...continue reading

AP - Nov 26
Top diplomats from Japan and China met for bilateral talks Saturday as they try to resolve disputes including China's ban on Japanese seafood that has badly hit Japanese exporters.

Reuters - Nov 25
Japan passed on Friday an extra budget worth around 13.1 trillion yen ($88 billion) aimed at helping households cope with the rising cost of living and corporations boost domestic investment, even amid concerns over the country's worsening finances.

News On Japan - Nov 23
Japan hosted the "Self-Defense Forces Joint Exercise," from October 10, attended by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and the U.S. military. JNN reports on Japan's only elite unit, the 1st Airborne Brigade, during their training.

The Diplomat - Nov 23
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NHK - Nov 22
North Korea's space agency says the country has launched a rocket carrying a military reconnaissance satellite and put it successfully into orbit.

Kyodo - Nov 22
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dailymail.co.uk - Nov 22
The home of the US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel became the target of anti-Semitic vandals over the weekend who spray painted the word 'Nazis' on a fence outside his house in Michigan.

CNA - Nov 21
Japan has condemned the seizure of a Japanese-operated cargo ship by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, south of Israel.

AOL - Nov 19
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News On Japan - Nov 18
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CCTV Video News Agency - Nov 18
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eurasiareview.com - Nov 18
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News On Japan - Nov 16
A car crashed into the barricades near the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday morning, injuring a police officer.

NHK - Nov 15
Wednesday marks 46 years since a 13-year-old junior high school girl was kidnapped by North Korean agents.

NHK - Nov 14
Japan's government has approved the resignation of State Minister of Finance Kanda Kenji, who repeatedly failed to pay taxes for his company.

NHK - Nov 14
An NHK opinion poll shows the approval rate for the Cabinet of Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has fallen below 30 percent for the first time since he took office two years ago.