Japan will provide Pacific island nations and territories with 3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from mid-July through the U.N.-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday.
Suga's announcement came as leaders of Japan and Pacific island nations and territories held an online meeting Friday, with Tokyo aiming to promote its "Free and Open Indo-Pacific Strategy" in an apparent effort to counter China's growing influence in the region.
In the virtual meeting, Japan also pledged assistance to help Pacific countries recover from the coronavirus pandemic by strengthening health care and medical systems, providing economic relief, and improving infrastructure facilities among other measures, according to government officials.