A post shared on Facebook claims Japan has purportedly banned COVID-19 vaccines.

Verdict: False

There is no evidence to support the claim. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare has not issued a statement indicating the vaccine has been banned.

Fact Check:

Following the end of its free vaccination program, Japan has announced it will “discard unused coronavirus vaccines,” according to NHK World Japan. Japan announced its free vaccination program would end in March 2024 back in September 2023, the Japan Times reported.

The Facebook post claims Japan has purportedly banned COVID-19 vaccines. “JAPAN BANS mRNA INJECTIONS,” the post’s caption reads. “Today Japan has banned the ‘safe & effective’ Covid Vaccines and urges other nations to do the same following a severe rise in excess deaths. The truth about what’s been done to humanity continues to flow – they can’t stop it,” it continues.

The post includes a screenshot of an article from the website, Prepare for Change.net, which reiterates the claim that the vaccine has supposedly been banned in Japan due to “soaring deaths.” Besides Facebook, the claim circulated on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, where it garnered over four million views.

The claim is false, however. Although the Mar. 24 article published on Prepare for Change.net claims Japan has purportedly banned the vaccines, it does not provide any evidence to support that claim. Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. In fact, the opposite is true. Reuters, Logically Facts, and Full Fact all labeled the claim that Japan had purportedly banned COVID-19 vaccines as false. (RELATED: No, The Baltimore Bridge Was Not Featured In Netflix Film Made By Obamas)

Additionally, the claim is neither referenced on the website of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare nor its associated social media accounts.

Check Your Fact has contacted Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.