Administrative and regulatory reform minister Taro Kono, who is responsible for the nation's vaccine distribution, apologized for municipalities having to stop accepting reservations for COVID-19 inoculations due to a vaccine shortage.
"We needed to present a more concrete supply plan earlier," Kono said at an out-of-session meeting of the House of Representatives' Cabinet Committee on Wednesday.
The government has also stopped accepting new applications for workplace vaccinations due to an overwhelming number of requests, and Kono admitted his forecast was insufficient.
"It was my mistake to misjudge the strong demand for the vaccine," he said.
According to Kono, vaccinations are being administered nationwide at a pace of 1.4 million doses per day, and he expects to be able to maintain 1 million to 1.2 million doses a day in the future.
The government has set a target of completing inoculation of the elderly by the end of July and of people who wish to be vaccinated by October to November. Kono said he is confident that both targets will be met.
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