Economics

Japan’s Slow Vaccine Rollout Pushes Back Recovery Time Frame

Inoculations for over-65s started Monday, months behind U.S.
Delayed recovery won’t help Suga in election, Olympic year

A restaurant worker prepares to close up in Osaka, on April 9. The delay in vaccination will leave Japan recovering at a slower pace than its peers and it will still take until 2023 before annual output regains its pre-pandemic level. — A restaurant worker prepares to close up in Osaka, on April 9. The delay in vaccination will leave Japan recovering at a slower pace than its peers and it will still take until 2023 before annual output regains its pre-pandemic level.
Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Bloomberg

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By Toru Fujioka, Lisa Du, and Yuko Takeo

April 11, 2021 at 11:30 PM UTC

Updated on

April 12, 2021 at 7:00 AM UTC

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Japan’s vaccination drive finally kicks into gear Monday around four months after the start of inoculations in the U.S. and the U.K., a slow rollout that has generated further criticism of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s handling of the pandemic.