As Japan prepares to expand the scope of its coronavirus vaccine rollout to the entire population, 62.1% of people have expressed a willingness to receive a shot, a recent online survey by a Tokyo-based medical school has shown.

The poll, conducted in January by a team from Tokyo Medical University, also found that women and younger generations are less accepting of vaccines, underscoring the need for the government to reassure and educate large sections of the populace about their safety.

"In order to raise the level of herd immunity, it is necessary to increase the percentage of those willing to get shots," said Masaki Machida, a research associate at the university's Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.