The Japanese government will donate another batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan this month, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Friday.
Motegi announced at a press conference in Tokyo that Taiwan has been included in Japan’s latest plan to donate AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccines to Asian countries, including Thailand and Vietnam, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
Japan has arranged for the vaccines to be sent by air within the first half of September, the ministry said.
This would be the fourth time that Japan has donated COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan during the pandemic.
Japan first donated 1.24 million doses of AZ to Taiwan on June 4, followed by 1.13 million doses on July 8, and 970,000 doses on July 15, bringing the total to almost 3.4 million doses, more than any other country which has also donated vaccines to Taiwan, according to a press release from MOFA.
The ministry applauded Motegi’s announcement, stating that Taiwanese are touched, especially as this comes at a time when Japan is in the midst of a severe rise in domestic COVID-19 cases.
Donating vaccines during a time when doses are being unevenly distributed globally is a true act of friendship between both nations, the ministry added.
Currently, plans are also underway between the Taiwanese and Japanese governments to work together to assist Japanese expats in Taiwan who are willing to receive the AZ vaccine, MOFA stated.
The ministry said it believes that as Taiwan and Japan continue to cooperate, both nations could defeat the pandemic and strengthen their relationship.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel