Japan Will Prioritize Students Studying Overseas for COVID-19 Vaccinations

Japan is set to prioritize all students leaving for studies abroad for COVID-19 vaccinations. This is for those who are about to attend the new school year that starts in September. This decision comes as institutions in the US require incoming foreign students to be fully vaccinated with the World Health Organization approved COVID-19 vaccines. This is needed before attending face-to-face classes this fall. 

At present, healthcare workers and individuals aged 65 and above are the prioritized groups for receiving the vaccine. Students registered for a degree will be eligible for receiving the coronavirus shots. Those who are taking short-term programs are not part of the priority group.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture ,Sports, Science and Technology, 58,720 students were enrolled overseas in 2018—18,105 in the United States, 14,230 in China and 9,196 in Taiwan. The country is busy expediting its vaccine rollout so students can proceed with their studies at foreign universities. 

Japan currently has a total of 752,191 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases with 13,245 deaths. Only 3% of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine as compared to the US, which has 50% of its citizens already vaccinated.

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