Japan offers ¥1 billion vaccine aid

Japan will offer about ¥1.1 billion in emergency aid through the World Health Organization to help developing countries get access to H1N1 swine flu vaccines, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The announcement is a response to calls from the United Nations and decisions by the United States and other countries to make some of their H1N1 vaccine supply available to developing countries through the WHO.

The grant aid is aimed at enabling vaccinations for people engaged in medical activities and patients whose symptoms could become severe in developing countries that have difficulty gaining access to the medicine, the ministry said in a press release.

Japan will continue to closely cooperate with related countries and organizations to address the pandemic, it said.