Japan authorized Moderna's Covid-19 vaccination for its booster program on Thursday, while Novavax applied for the country's first approval of its injection.

Moderna's mRNA-type vaccine, which has been used mainly in Japan at workplace inoculation sites to date, was approved for use as a third booster dose for persons aged 18 or older on Wednesday, after a recommendation from health ministry specialists.

This is the same age range as the shot created by Pfizer and BioNTech, which has been administered around 93,000 times as a booster shot, covering approximately 0.1 percent of the population.

Takeda Pharmaceutical, Novavax's Japanese distributor, submitted the protein-based vaccine to regulators, the firm said in a statement. Takeda intends to manufacture the vaccine in Japan and distribute it in early 2022, pending approval.

Despite a relatively late start, Japan has fully vaccinated over 80% of its population, the highest rate among Group of Seven economies. Between the Pfizer and Moderna shots, the country has approximately 31 million doses remaining, with agreements to obtain a further 170 million in 2022.

Since a fifth wave peaked in August, new coronavirus infections in Japan have declined substantially. According to experts, the fact that Japan began its immunization campaign later may have contributed to the low number of Covid-19 cases, as most people's protection from the doses has not yet faded.

Shigeyuki Goto, Japan's health minister, stated last week that booster doses should be provided as soon as possible, rather than waiting eight months between the first two shots.

Indonesia approved Novavax's vaccine for emergency use in early November, followed by the Philippines.

Takeda has stated that its Hikari factory in western Japan can produce 250 million doses of the vaccine and has sold 150 million to the Japanese government. Additionally, Takeda is responsible for importing and distributing the Moderna shot in Japan.