Japan has donated another 64,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Taiwan. Foreign ministry spokesperson Joanne Ou says that the shipment arrived safely in Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon.
This is the fourth batch of vaccines that Japan has sent to Taiwan. Their vaccine donation now totals over 3.4 million doses, making Japan the top donor in Taiwan. Other countries that have donated vaccines to Taiwan include Poland, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and the United States.
Ou says that Taiwan and Japan have worked closely together to overcome obstacles throughout the pandemic, demonstrating their commitment as allies.
She says that Taiwan will cooperate with Japan in the future and make plans for helping Japanese citizens in Taiwan get access to the vaccines. This will be part of the national objective to continue effectively administering doses and raising the public's vaccination rate.
Ou says that Taiwan and Japan both value freedom and democracy, and this is at the foundation of their relationship. Japan also supports Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization. Ou says she believes that teamwork between Taiwan and Japan will assist both countries in containing the COVID-19 pandemic as soon as possible.