Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga receives his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo, Japan, March 16, 2021. Kyodo/Reuters
TOKYO - Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga received his second dose of the Pfizer Inc. COVID-19 vaccine at a Tokyo hospital on Tuesday, as part of preparations to visit the United States next week for a meeting with President Joe Biden.
An official at the prime minister's office said Suga, 72, was in good health after taking the shot. Unlike when he received his first shot in mid-March, cameras were not permitted into the room.
The Japanese and US governments have agreed to take precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus during Suga's trip to Washington, with all members of the delegation and accompanying press being vaccinated beforehand.
Both Suga and Biden, 78, are at increased risk of developing severe symptoms of COVID-19 due to their age. The president received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine before he was inaugurated in January.
The meeting will be Biden's first in person with a foreign leader since taking office. The 2 are expected to discuss ways to counter China's growing economic and military influence and efforts to denuclearize North Korea. They will also broach measures to tackle the coronavirus and climate change.
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