Pfizer Inc has applied for approval from Japan's health ministry to use COVID-19 vaccines on children aged 5 to 11, it said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Pfizer's Comirnaty vaccine, developed in partnership with BioNTech, was the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for Japan's general public in February. COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and AstraZeneca have since been approved.
Pfizer's vaccine is currently being offered to those aged 12 and above. If approved by the health ministry, it will be the first to be administered to children under 11 in Japan.
About 74 per cent of the population is now fully vaccinated, according to broadcaster NHK, and the government is widely expected to start administering booster shots by year-end.
Russian ballistic missiles kill 12 in Ukraine's Kyiv
Kenya tourist helicopter crash kills seven
US, South Korea to cut length, scope of military drills after Trump order
Central African Republic gold mine collapse kills at least 100
Israeli airstrike kills nine Palestinians at Gaza police station
