Japan’s new coronavirus infectious disease (Corona 19) vaccination director Taro Kono held a press conference in Tokyo on the 16th of last month, and announced plans to vaccination against Corona 19. Tokyo = AFP Yonhap News
It was found that the Japanese government had difficulties in the negotiation process with Pfizer regarding the introduction of a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) vaccine. The Kyodo news agency reported that Pfizer renegotiated with a high pressure to renegotiate the Japanese government, saying,’A prime minister instead of the minister,’ against the Japanese government, which was in an emergency in securing supplies.
According to Kyodo News on the 3rd, when Japanese government officials had a hard time in negotiations with Pfizer in January, Vaccine Minister Taro Kono (河野太郞), Minister of Administrative Reform, said, “I will speak directly with Pfizer.” Then, Pfizer immediately expressed a position that it would not deal with the ministers, saying, “I want the prime minister, not the minister, to come out for negotiations.” In the midst of this, the possibility of inoculating about 12 million people with the same amount of about 12 million people was raised due to the inability to properly secure a syringe that can be inoculated six times with a single vaccine bottle, and the Japanese government was driven to bad conditions.
Particularly problematic was the contents of the contract with Pfizer. Minister Kono decided that’the vaccine will not come as it is,’ seeing that the contract was not conclusive about the supply of the vaccine and said, “I will try my best”. In addition, at the end of January, the European Union (EU) began regulating the offshore export of domestically manufactured vaccines. The Prime Minister’s official residence requested Pfizer’s headquarters to secure supplies through the ambassador to the United States, but it is said that he received an answer saying that “there must be EU permission.” A government official lamented, “As I went to export management like a war, the contract became a piece of paper.”
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was in a very desperate situation to secure a vaccine due to the Tokyo Olympics aiming to be held in July and the general election following the expiration of the term of the House of Representatives in October. Meanwhile, at a press conference on February 26, Kono said, “We will complete the delivery of about 36 million elderly people by the end of June.” The news agency analyzed that there was a background in which Pfizer changed its negotiating attitude in relation to the conclusion of the negotiations, as the advantage of the first runner disappeared as competitive vaccines such as Modena were shipped. However, an official from the ruling party commented, “I got a weakness and bought it at a high price” regarding securing 36 million people.
Meanwhile, Japan, which started vaccinating Pfizer on the 17th of last month, is seldom accelerating. By 5 pm on the 5th of this month, only 46,000 medical workers were inoculated. Korea started vaccination on the 26th of last month, 9 days later than Japan, but 225,000 people were vaccinated, which is about 5 times that of Japan as of 0 o’clock on the 5th. As of 0 o’clock on the 7th, the number of inoculations was 314,656.
Jinjoo Choi Correspondent [email protected]
News directly edited by the Hankook Ilbo can also be viewed on Naver.
