Japan's COVID-19 vaccine chief has blamed a rigid drug approval system for a slow inoculation campaign that is relying on only one approved shot, as a fourth wave of infections raises worries amid preparations for the Summer Olympics.
Taro Kono, the minister in charge of vaccines, took responsibility for the public frustration with the vaccine distributed system but also said the approval process was a disadvantage in an emergency.
"Even though we are in a state of crisis, we're still using the same rules to approve vaccines that we do under normal times," Kono said in a TBS television interview broadcast on Wednesday.