A medical personnel presents a container used to preserve COVID-19 vaccines at the Kawasaki City College of Nursing in Kawasaki on January 27, 2021. /CFP
Japan will begin its COVID-19 inoculation drive on Wednesday, starting with 40,000 medical workers, Japan's vaccination program chief Taro Kono said at a news conference on Tuesday.
The European Union has approved the second shipment of COVID-19 vaccines to Japan, which is expected to arrive next week, he added.
The Japanese government approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday.
(With input from Reuters)