Japan has not banned mRNA Covid-19 vaccines or suggested other countries do the same, despite widespread claims on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, as well as other blogs and websites, that the country has “just banned Covid mRNA injections for public use. “
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Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has not issued any indication that it has banned or intends to ban those vaccines, nor has any reputable Japanese or foreign news source reported this.
In fact, last November, Japan’s Ministry of Health approved its first locally developed Covid vaccine, which uses mRNA technology, to target an omicron variant of the virus.
Full Fact has contacted the Japanese embassy in the UK to verify that a ban on the vaccine has been imposed. We will update this fact check when we get a response.
It is possible that this claim stems from a false impression of an update to Japan’s Covid vaccination program.
In September 2023, he announced that Japan would end a transition program that would provide free Covid vaccines to everyone by the end of March 2024.
Covid vaccine prices in Japan have been covered by public funds.
Image courtesy of Guus Baggermans
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