Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s “trophy” from his brief trip to Washington immediately gathered rust after his return home.

Commenting on an issue dominating the minds of the Japanese public, Suga told reporters on April 19 that Japan had secured enough doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate all eligible people by September.

Under the central government’s definition, that would mean about 110 million people who are 16 or older.

Suga said that in his 10-minute phone conversation with Pfizer Inc.’s CEO, Albert Bourla, on April 17, he asked the pharmaceutical company to provide additional vaccines to Japan. The prime minister quoted Bourla as replying that Pfizer “will pursue consultations in a rapid manner.”

“I have a clear idea that the vaccines will be provided by September,” Suga said at the prime minister’s office.

But since then, Suga’s remarks about the September schedule have been murky or nonexistent.

He has repeatedly said, “I decline to comment,” when pressed for details about the supposed agreement with Pfizer.

LOST IN TRANSLATION?

Shinkun Haku, a lawmaker of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, questioned Suga’s earlier claim about securing the doses by September.

“According to the Foreign Ministry’s website, the Pfizer CEO said the company ‘is willing to work together in close coordination with the Japanese government,’” Haku said at the Upper House plenary session on April 21. “But there was not a single word about September.”

Haku noted that Bourla has positively said Pfizer is committed to provide 100 million doses--to European countries.

Haku asked Suga: “Did he (Bourla) give you a definite commitment? Set the record straight, please.”

Suga responded: “I made a request for additional supplies of (vaccines) so that we can provide them to eligible people by September with certainty.

“The other party said it wants to pursue consultations swiftly, but out of consideration for the other party’s relations, I decline to disclose details.”

He did not explain his own “September” comment.

During the April 20 Lower House plenary session, another CDP lawmaker, Takashi Midorikawa, raised the possibility that Suga misinterpreted what Bourla had said.

“I don’t think (Bourla) vowed to supply the vaccines,” Midorikawa said.

Throughout two days of Diet proceedings, four lawmakers pressed the prime minister to clarify his remark about September.

Suga said, “I decline to comment,” five times.

He also seemed to pass the buck when asked about a time frame when all eligible people in Japan can receive the necessary doses and complete the vaccination process.

“It depends on the plans made by local governments that carry out the (vaccinations),” Suga said.

RIGHT MONTH, WRONG YEAR?

Suga’s allies have not offered much help in laying out a clear schedule and overall picture of the vaccine program, which Suga has said would be a “game changer” in the yearlong pandemic.

Hakubun Shimomura, chairman of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Policy Research Council, on April 19 said even elderly people, a high priority group, will have to wait until next year to get the vaccine.

Citing a shortage of health care workers who can administer the shots at vaccination sites, Shimomura said: “In some municipalities, it may go into next year to vaccinate even those who are 65 or older. At this rate, it will likely take until spring next year for all people to get the vaccine.”

Taro Kono, a Cabinet member who was put in charge of the vaccine project, denied Shimomura’s estimate the following day.

“I have not received a report from any local government that the (vaccination program) will go into next year,” he said.

Vaccinations of people 65 or older started on April 12.

According to the health ministry’s weekly progress report on vaccinations in all 47 prefectures, only 13,369 of the 36 million eligible elderly people had received the first of the two necessary doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of April 18.

In 21 prefectures, the number of eligible elderly people who had received the initial jab was under 100.

In nine prefectures--Tochigi, Saitama, Shizuoka, Shiga, Hyogo, Shimane, Saga, Kumamoto and Oita--zero doses had been provided as of April 18.

Immunization of about 4.8 million eligible health care workers started in February.

As of April 16, Tokyo led the nation, with 117,683 medical workers receiving at least one shot and 63,168 completing the two-dose process.

Osaka Prefecture followed, with 83,193 workers injected once and 48,792 twice.

Overall in Japan, about 1.19 million health care workers have received the first dose and 718,396 have been given two shots.

That means about 15 percent of eligible health care workers have completed the immunization process.

(This article was compiled from reports by Akira Minami, Kai Ichino and Junya Sakamoto.)