What are some practical ways that the Japanese government could speed up the coronavirus vaccination process?

How about trying importing syringes from overseas if Japan can't make them locally. Have more vaccination centers, the more there are, the easier for people to get the shot. In terms of encouraging people, how about giving them material incentives, like giving them a certain amount's worth of groceries and a government-signed letter that would allow them to take a leave from work should they experience side effects and are unable to go out.

Stop being so xenophobic and start using vaccines from overseas, Japanese aren’t special the vaccine Americans use will work for them too.

Have the entertainment industry take over. They can sell "tickets" through the usual means, like email, convenience stores, or by phone. They understand crowd control, how to set up lines, how to check ID and so forth. They have large, mostly empty spaces with access to good transportation. Have them add personnel from the tour industry to act as "ushers" and to explain the procedure and answer questions, and to pre-screen the customers for allergies, etc. The actual shot giver would then only have to have a short chat before the jab, and be ready for another customer in less than five minutes.

Unused COVID-19 vaccines in Japan are set to reach tens of millions of doses, as the country is poised to approve two more shots in coming weeks and the pace of its inoculation campaign remains slow due to manpower and logistical bottlenecks.

Unused COVID shots piling up in Japan amid slow rollout - Japan Today

Maybe just start distributing the vaccines that are piled up. They can start with vaccination spots in both hospitals and clinics (including dental) and even vet clinics, since all of these places have staff that know how to give a shot. Other places could include schools on Sunday where schools become vaccination facilities.

Logistics and distribution.

Also staffing; besides doctors and nurses, permit: dentists, pharmacists, blood technicians, SDF, firefighters, police etc. to administer jabs.

If Israel, the US and UK can get the job done quickly and safely, so can Japan.

This is life and death.

Have actual “plans” ‘Ready In Advance’ of a pandemic, a natural disaster, a man-made disaster and other potential crises. - Too much time wasted on discussions and studies during a crisis.

Cancel the Olympics and divert all resources to the covid fight. Use the stadiums as mass vaccination centres, for starters.

Eliminate appointments.

Drive-in vaccination centers, centers at sports stadiums, centers at school gyms.

Use retired medical personnel to administer it. Also use students who are studying medicine, nursing, veterinary, etc.

Literally have anyone else manage the file. Take the problem out of the room. Take out the politicians immediately.

Put in a real doctor as the lead on the issue like every other first world nation. Convert every stadium to a vaccine centre. Put several at transportation hubs, even several at the airport. Close the human buildings of the airport for two weeks every month and make it the largest clinic ever. Airport freight can continue.

Every pharmacy, dentist, clinic, plus large capacity fields like covered stadiums. Since you don't have large parking lots, dedicate multipe roads and redesignate them such that drivers can go through the gautlet and get the shot without leaving their vehicles.

Cancel the Olympics and make the Olympic stadium an Olympic Clinc

They are desperately trying to recruit staff to do this, information and crowd control for vaccination and PCR testing centres, between 100 and 600 people each day over three shifts, and paying quite high rates at some centres ¥1,200-¥1,700 /hr.. We receive mail every night from employment agencies, but they stipulate: must wear suit, no nail art, no piercings, no training shoes, etc., vital components for people who just have to say, 'Move Along' or 'Wait Over There!'

Th3 practical part is already several months in the past, planning and investing in the infrastructure was something that should be already done by now, same with modification on the unnecessarily strict process to approve drugs and vaccines in the country.

At this point all that is left are the unpractical emergency measures, complicated, expensive and prone to problems, throw money and people to the problem until it improves at a much higher cost than if the proper thing was done last year.

Japan has a system of buses set up for going to various locations for blood donations. Converting them to giving vaccinations instead of taking blood shouldn't be that difficult. First go to the nursing homes. No reservation required. Take care of the elderly and their caregivers first. Then gradually move the buses around to more public areas. When taking blood donations, they often set up in front of department stores. This isn't rocket science. If a BAKA NA GAIJIN like me can figure it out, certainly the government should be able to do so.

Why would they want to?

Remove MHLW from planning/operations of vaccinations. MHLW is too connected to the protected domestic vaccine industry. As long as they are involved, they have incentive to delay vaccinations in favor of waiting for domestic vaccines for financial gains.

It doesn't matter what is suggested here, the teeth sucking will continue, the vested interests will be protected and the money will go to the hands that are always out under the table.

Here’s a typical “J” idea: How about a “cute mascot” to cheer the workers?

Wait. Maybe that was done already.

Now they want “Practical” after stalling with stupidity like “Corowa-kun” ?

We’re sure everyone here remembers the controversy and extensive commentary from Feb 14, ‘21

“Cartoon dog pitches COVID vaccines to skeptical Japanese public” -

How about a vaccination unit at 7/11 or family mart ect , they are everywhere and most suburban ones have a car park . People come for their milk ect get vaccinated go home ….

Learn from those who have already done it, Israel, UK, USA adopt what works and implement it, temporarily remove all the restrictive rules as to who can give an injection, eradicate the paperwork.

All this (should already have been done) could be done in 7 days by a competent administration. So that won’t happen.

Train volunteers to administer vaccines, also for the admin and marshalling at vaccine centres. You know, like other countries have done. Also, open local vaccination centres, if people have to travel to get a vaccine they are less likely to get one. The elderly, disabled and vulnerable can’t travel. Approve other vaccines for use. Send appointments to those eligible for vaccines as inviting them to make appointments, especially as the system is obviously not coping, means lower vaccine uptake. Again, learn from other countries experiences. Stop reinventing the wheel, Japan.

This country dishes out about 20 million free influenza vaccines a year to the elderly, PLUS vaccinates millions through company schemes. Add on to that the mobile blood banks and the free annual medical checkups offered to us over-40s. There is ample already existing infrastructure in place to have at least made a significant start on this whilst simultaneously working on one-off measures like mass vaccination centers.

It seems to me that the focus is on how to get 100% of the country vaccinated at the same time, which does indeed require careful planning. That makes perfect sense for some projects (like allocating a MyNumber card to everyone, for example) but is utterly nonsensical in a pandemic. Get as many jabs in arms as you can, as soon as you can. HURRY UP!

Thaw the frozen set back vials and get to it.

What are some practical ways that the Japanese government could speed up the coronavirus vaccination process?

Get non-Japanese to manage it...

Japan, by all accounts, should have the benefit at this point of looking at other countries. Japan is far enough behind that they could draw up a list of what every country has done and cherrypick the best methodologies. They'd still be further along than they are now even if they sat in meetings making those lists.

Specifically, a good first step would be to start. Seriously, just get it going even if there isn't currently enough for every citizen, it is better to at least use what we have. Expand who can administer the vaccinations, you don't need a medical degree to do it and start deploying it. The bottleneck isn't really getting the vaccinations into the country, it is getting them into people. So. Start. Even if I got my first jab tomorrow, I would still be months behind everyone else in the world by the time I was finished with the process.

If I was being cheeky, I would suggest utilizing the olympic stadiums as a nice vaccination venue after cancelling the games, but that isn't happening.

Of all my friends in other countries, the only ones I know who aren't vaccinated already are in Taiwan, and they can actually afford to be slower.

Realistically, what will come out of this is probably just Vaksu-kun, the adorable and friendly giant syringe mascot. That will fix everything.

Firing Nishimura, Omi etc would be a start. Suga (So Useless Go Away) refuses to take any responsibility for the nightmare we are all trapped in here.

They should ask the “black market” for help:

- “Journalist Tetsuo Suzuki blamed the vaccine black market -- if it exists -- on Japan's vertically segmented admin system. - "The Ministry of Health, Labor & Welfare is responsible for procurements; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism oversees shipping; the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry stores it; and the Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications interacts with local govts," he explains. "That's a key reason why the rollout has been so slow. PM Suga only took measures to cut through red tape appointing Taro Kono as minister to oversee the vaccinations on Jan 18."

https://japantoday.com/category/features/kuchikomi/can%27t-wait-for-a-jab-black-market-covid-vaccines-available-at-a-price

Mass resignation and let the American military handle it.

Vaksu kun is a good start. Followed by allowing some private sector involvement, less sucking of teeth and talking and getting more people to actually do the work.

First, get rid of any government involvement. They are useless.

Open up both, city infrastructures, such as stadiums, arenas, plazas, parks etc etc. Somewhere where large crowds can be with ample space, preferably with open air. Have local groups organize doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, etc, whoever can do the jabs, let them properly rotate shifts and start injecting.

No appointments. just have senior age groups walk in until supply or time runs out. Then repeat it the next day. until that demographic is done. Then move on to the next. single jabs, shouldn't take more than 15 min per person if done right, I.E. the opposite of what Japan has been doing.

If that's not enough, distribute vaccines to medical facilities around the nation, the major hospitals and have them give it to the public. If that doesn't work, give it to the local clinics.

The bottom line, is to actually START and follow models and plans of what other countries are successfully doing.

Anything really, besides doing nothing, like Japan is doing now.

If you want practical, how about the government as a whole to step aside and leave the situation to the medical and science experts. We've seen this already with the US, with old moronic Trump and his staff not doing much of anything, until Fauci and his staff stepped in and took charge of the situation. We see now what's going on in the US. More people have been and are getting vaccinated, with the age group dropping to be allowed to get vaccinated "without an appointment." Let's see the Japanese government do that.