Japanese government will provide AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in Japan to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu announced on Tuesday. According to the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia, the minister said the vaccines will be delivered from July, if various circumstances allow, and will advance its coordination. “This will be another symbol of friendship between Japan and Malaysia,” the embassy said in a statement.

The Japanese government previously among others extended its assistance to Malaysia to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic including providing medical equipment worth approximately US$5 million in January. For ASEAN, Japan had proposed the establishment of the “ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases” to protect people in this region from the threat of infectious diseases and provided financial support of USD 50 million through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).