Kono says nationalism could disrupt global vaccine supplies

Japan’s own nationalism can end up costing us lives as well.

As selfish humans on this planet we all know that its every man for himself when it comes down to it.

Nationalism?

That’s ironic, when vaccines’ approvals are taking so long, to “buy time” for national vaccines to be developed and approved first.

Love the classic “create the outside enemy” to increase nationalist sentiment and for the gov to wash their hands off any guilt like they did with the “foreign” virus.

What about taking action instead of more talks and meetings, and moving on with those vaccines?

Who would say... Japan, the last of the “developed countries” to get vaccines approved.

Geez, with all this nationalism happening around the world, its going to be much harder for Suga to claim the Olympics will symbolize humanity's victory over the virus.

I can understand Europe wanting to vaccinate their own people first. That’s just normal. Australia has a team in Melbourne developing a vaccine for Aussies too.

Why hasn’t Japan had some of its own army of medical professionals working on and developing their own vaccine? Are they waiting for somebody to develop it so they can reproduce it, again?

Kono says nationalism could disrupt global vaccine supplies

Japan will do same but the problem Japan has no R&D for covid vaccine that will be use globally, so Japan just can only import or asking to other producer outside Japan to do vaccine production in Japan.

https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/the-high-cost-japan-s-farm-protectionism-and-how-the-tpp-can-help

On other things Japan just will do nationalism rethoric.

No one's stopping you from using the Chinese Covid19 vaccine Kono-san.

Says the guy waiting for Japan to have a stake in the game before we get them here.

Poor old Japan. Never seems to be able to catch a break.

No own efforts to develop a working vaccine, that’s the problem. Anything is money thrown out of the window for, from Jaxa rockets to toy robots and virtual reality idols...but some normal biochemical or genetic research? Come on, the best people are even fired, like that famous ‘stap saibou ga arimasu’ chan, you know who I mean. lol

Now this is a very contradictory statement made by a country which made of nationalism and protectionism it’s fundaments.

Maybe Mr.Kono should remember that Europe and the European Union are a representative of 27 nations that covers almost the whole European continent and has about 500 million people,of course they will give priority to their own nations.

And such words coming from Kono and Japan sounds of pure hypocrisy.

Japanese complaining about nationalism LOLLLLLLLLLLLL

Mr Kono isn't Japan going to produce its own vaccine???

Where is Japanese pride?

It has one of the world’s fastest supercomputers to run simulations on for crying out loud!

Or is Japan such a half baked useless country that it cannot make its own vaccine?

Japan has a huge manufacturing base and R&D in manufacturing. Japan is not a world leader in Medical research or production. Many would not know that Australia IS among the world leaders in medical research and as such is able to develop its own vaccine as well as hedge its bets by buying imported stocks. The medical plant in Melbourne can only effectivly mass produce one type of vaccine at a time and is doing just that at one million doses a week.

Clearly citizens demand that locally produced vaccines are used to first vaccinate locals before sending large quantities abroad. If they sent mass doses overseas while their own population remained vulnerable it would be a hard sell. Any deaths locally would be blamed on such a decision.

"Japan was promoting the GoTo travels and Olympics, while Europe was furiously developing a vaccine. Who should have the priority?"

Bang on @Zoroto !

Kono, don't you realize that Pfizer is a US company not a European one?

Why can't their US factories supply Japan?

Please address your complaints to their head office in NY.

Oh wait a minute, Mr so pro-Us Kono wouldn't mouth a word of criticism about the overlord.

While "nationalism" will indeed affect supplies and availability to some countries, China is already using it to it's advange by supplying Sinopharm vaccines to countries it deems important to influence and control in order to realize the One Belt-One Road project. Serbia is a good example.

AstraZeneca Plc will file for Japanese approval of its COVID-19 vaccine as early as mid-February, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, making it the second vaccine maker to seek approval in Japan after Pfizer.

It aims to license Japanese biotechnology company JCR Pharmaceutical to produce some 90 million doses of its vaccine in Japan to help the country avoid shortages and delays, the Nikkei reported separately.

Mid-February?

Are the Japanese Government attempting a hold and hedge stratagem for JCR Pharmaceutical?

Japan was busy boasting of Takeda's so-called expertise in immunotherapy last year, and how it would easily develop and produce a vaccine. Other than a temporary and much-needed rise in their 'share price', nothing has even come close to being developed, let alone produced.

Poor old Japan. Never seems to be able to catch a break.

Sarcastic or not, when you are a country, that is supposedly the third largest economy in the world, you dont "catch" breaks, you make your own!

The pharmaceutical companies here are notorious for keeping medications from abroad OUT of the markets here, because they want their medicines, no matter how outdated, to be the ONLY option for the population.

Kono is just being an arse and looking to make excuses ahead of time, when people start getting pissed off that there is no vaccination!

happyhere the vaccine is actually a cooperation with a German company BionTech and Pfitzer,and the Europeans are so also developing the vaccine as the americans.

"It is time for the leaders of the states to sit down and have an online conversation" to address the issue, he added.

Glad to hear that he clarified that it should be an online conversation.

"But we are living on the same planet, and the supply chain now goes global."

The unspoken assumption is that developed countries will get it first. Or will Japan be looking to ensure that Indonesia gets equal access to it?

"Why hasn’t Japan had some of its own army of medical professionals working on and developing their own vaccine? "

Japan has two vaccines in phase 2 trials.

Many pharma companies are getting ready to produce the vaccines under license.

If japan would it could too.

LOL at the comments. He is only playing to crowd. Japan really does not need the vaccine. Japan is playing a smart game. AstraZeneca Plc has already licensed its tech to JCR. Moderna has licensed its tech to Takeda and soon Pfizer Inc will follow suit. By the way, guess who makes the key ingredients in all three jabs? Thats right. Japan does.

Says the most nationalistic country I've known. And I've been hear 25 years.

Comical

I like his mask!

Says the most nationalistic country I've known. And I've been hear 25 years.

Comical

Welcome to the country which deserves the title of the most nationalistic island. You can fit yourself to, enjoy and love it, if you can change yourself.

Wasn't the media boasting how the super computer fugaku will help with the speedy development of vaccines and drugs. I wonder how much the government pumped into the vaccine that was been jointly developed by Osaka univ and osaka city, don't hear anything about it of late, just hope it doesn't suffer the same fate like Avigan

Why hasn’t Japan had some of its own army of medical professionals working on and developing their own vaccine? Are they waiting for somebody to develop it so they can reproduce it, again?

Come on now. Japan has more important things, like the Olympic games to spend money on.

@Sven AsaI 05:01 pm JST No efforts to develop a working vaccine,...some normal biochemical or genetic research? Come on, the best people are even fired, like that famous ‘stap saibou ga arimasu’ chan,...

We didn’t forget this:(2014) “Suspicions were raised over falsifying data, ...O-san *apologised for her "insufficient efforts, ill-preparedness and unskilfulness", but insisted only made "benevolent mistakes". ...agreed to retract her findings...her mentor, supervisor, and co-author, the deputy director, S-san, was ‘overwhelmed with shame’...He spent a month in hospital, then, committed suicide....The (internal) investigation cleared S-san of wrongdoing, but he was reprimanded for his failure to supervise... He apologized for an incident that might taint Japan’s reputation for scientific research.” *

She resigned and he took to ‘hard fall’ so the company, and ‘nationalism’ could ‘save face’.

Remember when I was pointing out Japan doesn't spend enough on Research and Development?

This is the result of that.

We are behind in many areas.

The technological advantage Japan had in the 80s and 90s is slowly dissappearing.

South Korea is catching up, China is catching up while Japan is just watching.

Dude, ok.

Chill, we luv yer.

Kono is a moron. Another legacy politician, as if government is composed of individuals who believe cabinet membership is an aristocratic inheritance.

Pfizer, according to their spokesman is delivering 120 million doses to Japan, which is contrary to the Japanese mouthpiece. Pfizer has manufacturing sites in numerous countries and is headquartered in New York. They are not going to bend to 'nationalism', but will hew to contractual obligations.

Maybe Kono should spend more time at the racetrack and turn over healthcare management issues to professionals. He can return to his key issue putting the kibosh on the hanko requirement, a rather daft pursuit, which will mean the use of notary services. After all this is a man who anointed Pokemon and Hello Kitty as special envoys to promote the city of Osaka for the 2025 Expo.

He dutifully served under some of the most atavistic politicians in the USA.

After UN become NU, nations united, into one state, nationalism will be thing of the past.. and Japan

will be one of six most important prefecture.

It is the first responsibility of each nations government to serve their people. Blame the national health care system and heavily bureaucratic government regulations for Japans inability to produce a vaccine of their own.

25psot, a global government would be the end of freedom, hope or progress. The more distant from the governing class are from governed the more autocratic the rule and the less say in their own lives individuals have. With a global government the elite wouldn’t even be able to see the ordinary individuals they would be so distant and care less. And there would be nowhere to go to get away from the oppressive state.

Playing the victim card again. Japan would be doing the same if she had her own wakuchin.

The pot calling the kettle black.

Japan has been conducting research and testing of its vaccine but the red tape to create it is slowing the process, compounded by the high cost of making it. It's not that Japan is doing nothing. There was an article in Nikkei of the problems pharmaceutical companies in Japan are facing in its race to get the vaccine to market, including small facilities, small national budget for research, etc.

@Zichi

300,000/week is far too low even if 2 shots are included in the figure: 4 years to get half of Japan vaccinated. Just useless!

While "nationalism" will indeed affect supplies and availability to some countries, China is already using it to it's advange by supplying Sinopharm vaccines to countries it deems important to influence and control in order to realize the One Belt-One Road project. Serbia is a good example.

Well, at least China is doing more than Japan.

"It is understandable to put their own people first," Kono said ""

So What Is The Problem?

As many of you have said, "Why is there no vaccine development in Japan?" There are licensing agreements to manufacture, but it is a shame that from the outset (a year ago) that Japan was relying on outside R&D to quash this pesky pandemic. In the meantime, the LDP has confused and mishandled the message(s) about COVID-19. Nationalism is another panic-induced expression that is being used to show the citizens that "it's not our fault". (Says the LDP official in not so many words)

Japan has once again brought disappointment to many of us, but I'm not sure it's the majority of us. I think people will just tough it out "ga-man" style and will bicker until the glorious Olympics arrive to warm our hearts ... Optimism fading fast, but I really hope the government proves us wrong.

Wasn't Kono pushing the "last name first hoopla"? Whether it is China, Korea, or Japan when you are shown to be incompetent the go to move is play the "victim card".

As much as Japan wants to tell itself and the world that they are independent, unique, and special; below the surface Japan is an insecure island nation better at following orders than leading.

Japan has dropped the ball at another important time in "World History"!

This is why "Pride" is considered a source of many problems in major religions and philosophies.

Unfortunately EU the one who talked too much about human rights,

does it mean's it's their right only???