Japan PM Suga receives COVID-19 vaccination ahead of Biden meeting in U.S.

March 16, 2021 - 12:01 PM
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In this Feb. 18, 2021 photo, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga visited the National Hospital Organization Tokyo Medical Center. (Prime Minister's Office of Japan/Facebook)

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga received his first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday in preparation for a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden next month.

Suga is the first Japanese government official to publicly receive the vaccine. Some 80-90 officials will be inoculated before heading to the United States early next month, where Suga will become the first world leader to meet Biden as president.

“It didn’t hurt, although it seemed so,” Suga told reporters after he was inoculated. —Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim and Ju-min Park; Editing by Kim Coghill