Abe vows COVID

Vaccinations for the novel coronavirus will be secured for all citizens by the first half of next year, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced during a news conference Friday in which he put forward a series of policy packages and revisions that, together, represent a shift in the country’s comprehensive strategy to suppress the pandemic.

“Our fight with this invisible enemy began in January,” Abe said. “We have learned much over the past half year — about how to protect those who are most vulnerable and how to reconcile public health and economic recovery — that the country must utilize moving forward.”