Japan Airlines Co. began COVID-19 vaccinations for employees Monday, a day after All Nippon Airways Co. became the first Japanese firm known to have started offering a workplace inoculation program.
Initially targeting crew on international flights, both airlines decided to begin administering shots at Tokyo's Haneda Airport ahead of the June 21 starting goal set by the government for companies and universities launching their own vaccination initiatives.
With the inoculations at workplaces and university campuses, the government hopes to speed up vaccinations ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, which kick off in less than 40 days. The new program comes on top of the country's existing inoculation drive, which is still mainly focused on health care workers and older people.