Suga vows Japan's supply of 3 mil. vaccine doses to Pacific nations

Japan will provide Pacific island nations and territories with 3 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from mid-July through the U.N.-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing program, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday.Suga's announcement came as the leaders of Japan and Pacific island nations and territories affirmed cooperation in an online meeting toward realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific in an apparent effort to counter China's growing influence in the region.In the virtual meeting, Japan also pledged assistance to help Pacific countries recover from the coronavirus pandemic by strengthe…READ FULL ARTICLE