The European Union and the Japanese governent on Thursday backed Tokyo's hosting of the Olympic Games this year, with EU-produced vaccines helping Japan in its battle against a fourth wave of infections.
"We support the holding of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 in a safe and secure manner this summer as a symbol of global unity in defeating COVID-19," the EU and Japan said in a joint statement after a summit.
Japan's vaccination drive has been glacially slow, with just over 5% of the population having had a shot, and several polls have shown the majority of the Japanese public are opposed to holding the games.