Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is administered a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on March 16. (Wataru Sekita)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on March 16 received a COVID-19 vaccination, a requirement for his upcoming trip to the United States for his first summit with President Joe Biden.

The prime minister set a good example for those afraid of needles. 

“It looked painful, but it wasn’t that painful,” Suga, 72, told reporters after he received the Pfizer vaccine at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward in the morning. “It was completed smoothly.”

Suga then reiterated that vaccinating the public is crucial to contain the year-long pandemic.

“I am keenly aware that we need to deliver the (vaccine) to many people as soon as possible,” he said.

Suga is expected to receive the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine three weeks later, which will be in early April, just in time for his official trip to Washington, D.C.

Initially, Suga expressed willingness to “wait his turn” to get the vaccine.

In late February, he stated he would follow the central government’s order of priority and wait until the inoculation of the elderly begins.

“When my turn comes, I will take the lead and get vaccinated,” Suga said before the Lower House Budget Committee.

But the timetable apparently changed after Suga’s first in-person summit with Biden was scheduled.

About 80 to 90 people will accompany Suga to the United States.

To follow all the safety rules negotiated with the U.S. government, all members of the delegation will receive a COVID-19 vaccine before departure, regardless of their age and occupation.

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