As Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pushes for a quicker vaccine rollout for a nation playing catch-up with much of the developed world, his top-down management style is facing growing scrutiny after weeks of snap decisions that bypassed even members of his own Cabinet.
Within the span of about a month, Suga declared ambitious goals on vaccines in rapid succession, opening up mass vaccination sites run by the Self-Defense Forces, completing all vaccinations for those age 65 or older by the end of July and targeting 1 million doses per day. Exasperated by an astonishingly slow rollout, the prime minister turned to a commanding style that he honed during his nearly eight years as chief Cabinet secretary to map out a more ambitious path forward.
“I believe vaccines are the trump card to protect each and every life,” Suga said on May 14.