Prime Minister Ishiba, who met with Bill Gates, announced that he would contribute up to 81.2 billion yen to an international vaccination organization.

On the 19th, Prime Minister Ishiba met with Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, at the Prime Minister’s Office. He informed Gates that Japan intends to contribute up to $550 million over the next five years to Gavi, an international organization supporting vaccine efforts backed by the Gates Foundation. The official announcement will be made at the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9).

Gavi focuses on expanding vaccination programs in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized to Gates the importance of sustainable international health and expressed his desire for thorough discussions at TICAD9.