Japan said on Friday it would consider sharing its COVID-19 vaccines with other countries as a ruling party committee urged it to provide a portion of its AstraZeneca Plc vaccine stock to Taiwan.

Taiwan is battling a spike in domestic infections and has vaccinated only about 1% of its population, while Japan has secured more than 400 million doses, double what it needs for its adult population.

"We think it's important to ensure fair access to safe and effective vaccines in every country and region towards achieving universal health coverage," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference.

"We will swiftly consider and look into a concrete course of policy with regard to how we provide other countries and regions with vaccines that exceed the amount for those needed at home."

Masahisa Sato, the head of a Japanese ruling party committee on Taiwan relations, said earlier on Friday the government should provide Taiwan with vaccines as soon as possible, adding "when Japan was in need Taiwan sent us 2 million masks."

Kato declined to comment whether Tokyo had received supply requests from specific countries.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-considering-providing-astrazenecas-covid-19-vaccine-taiwan-newspaper-2021-05-27/