From Kazuto Suzuki:

• The delay in vaccine development in Japan is partially due to the low birthrate and aging population, as well as strong skepticism toward vaccines. In addition, both the public and private sectors are cautious about vaccine development due to past vaccine and drug-related incidents. As a result, the development and marketing of therapeutic drugs has been more profitable for pharmaceutical companies than preventative vaccines. Additionally, Japanese pharmaceutical companies have been protected by the so-called “convoy system,” and many of them are small in global terms, which has made it difficult for them to diversify technologically and increase the scale of their research and development.
• In many developed countries, infectious diseases have been regarded as a “developing country problem.” What made COVID-19 so significant, then, was the fact that it hit developed countries directly, the failure of social intervention, and the resulting cessation of socioeconomic activities for nearly a year. In such a situation, “vaccine nationalism,” an attempt to enclose vaccines, gained momentum.
• The number of vaccinations per capita in China and Russia is not necessarily high, and it can be observed that vaccines in these countries are exported or provided free of charge to other countries rather than domestically.
• According to “The Logic of China’s Vaccine Diplomacy,” published in The Diplomat by Ivana Karásková and Veronika Blablová on March 24, 2021, China provides vaccines free of charge to at least 35 countries and exports to 30 countries. It is anticipated that Chinese vaccines will reach more countries in the near future and that China will become increasingly influential in foreign affairs.
• Infectious diseases, like natural disasters, are bound to strike at some point without warning. Therefore, Japan’s disaster prevention and crisis management should include the capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines.
• When considering vaccines as a diplomatic strategy, Japan should support fair distribution of vaccines through COVAX, an international cooperative system, in order to prevent certain countries from exercising monopolistic influence.

From Masayuki Imagawa:

• In Japan, Shionogi, Daiichi Sankyo, AnGes, KM Biologics, and other companies are developing vaccines. However, as these companies began work without a significant foundation, they are behind the rest of the world. This demonstrates that crisis response needs to begin prior to the disaster in question.
• From the industry perspective, vaccines are less attractive for investment as opposed to therapeutic drugs, such as anticancer agents, because of their narrow sales margin. Unless this changes, industry will not be able to respond to the next pandemic, which is the challenge.
• Vaccine development and production should be positioned as national crisis management, and instead of leaving it to individual companies, the government should strengthen its command and promote vaccine research, development, and production.
• Proposed measures to address this situation in Japan include the following:
  • Since infection control is the cornerstone of crisis management in a pandemic, a command post that is aware of emergencies should be established at the national level from normal times, and a system should be built to enable stakeholders in industry, government, and academia to move in the right direction.
  • A Japanese version of the U.S.’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) should be established, which would be very effective in promoting vaccine development under crisis management.
  • Japan should introduce a pull (national stockpile or purchase) and push (R&D support incentives) process for vaccine projects to make them more attractive to industry.
  • The leading companies in the development of COVID-19 vaccines are venture companies. Venture companies should be fostered to overcome the valley of death between academia and business in innovation.

To read the full report on this meeting in Japanese, please visit the JCIE/Japan website.