Japan lags behind numerous other countries in inoculating its population against COVID-19. © Illustration by Hiroko Oshima

Japan's slow COVID vaccine rollout turns hope into frustration

With emergency lifted and Olympics fast approaching, clamor for change intensifies

MITSURU OBE, Nikkei staff writer

March 23, 2021 06:05 JST

TOKYO -- It was a sunny March afternoon in Tokyo and the atmosphere inside the Kotoen nursing care center seemed just as bright. Nearly 40 seniors were playing indoor games after finishing their lunches and baths. But Keiko Sugi, who runs the facility in the city's easternmost ward of Edogawa, said some regulars were staying away out of fear of COVID-19.