Both Tokyo and Osaka are scheduled to open large-scale inoculation centres this month to expedite the rollout for Covid-19 vaccines. Tokyo’s facility in Otemachi, scheduled to open on May 24, is expected to inoculate approximately 10,000 people per day. To avoid using the Pfizer vaccine supplies intended for municipalities, the facility will offer the Moderna vaccine instead, which is expected to be approved a few days ahead of the centre’s opening.
All residents, including foreign residents, are eligible to receive the vaccine for free, but timing will depend on your age and area of residence. Here is a tentative timeline of how the rollout will be conducted at this large-scale Covid-19 vaccination facility in Otemachi.
May 17: Online bookings open for Tokyo's large-scale inoculation centre.
May 20: Government makes final decision on approving the Moderna vaccine.
May 21: Bookings become available via the Line messaging app.
May 24: Facility begins inoculating senior residents aged 65 years and older. Only residents in Tokyo’s 23 wards are eligible at this time.
May 31: Centre opens to all senior residents aged 65 years and older residing in the Greater Tokyo region.
June 7: Centre opens to all senior residents aged 65 years and older in Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures, in addition to Tokyo.
July 31: According to The Mainichi, the government aims to fully vaccinate all senior residents in Japan by July 31.
Eligible residents can make an online reservation using the free vaccination coupons sent to them by the government via post. The facility will be open from 8am to 8pm daily, including weekends and public holidays. Currently, the Ministry of Defense website does not specify if non-senior residents will be able to receive the Moderna vaccine at the large-scale facility during its first three months of operation.
For information on Japan’s vaccine rollout for the general public, see our tentative timeline report.
This report was originally published on May 13 and updated on May 17.
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