Ishiba Meets Gates in Tokyo, Pledges ¥81.2 Billion to International Vaccination Organization Gavi

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:11 JST, August 20, 2025

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates during his Japan visit at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Tuesday. The prime minister told him that the government would contribute up to $550 million (about ¥81.2 billion) to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, an international organization promoting vaccination supported by the Gates Foundation, in the next five years.

Ishiba will officially announce the offer at the TICAD9 from Wednesday.

Gavi is working on promoting vaccination in developing countries, mainly in Africa.

The prime minister stressed the importance of sustainability of international healthcare to Gates and expressed his willingness to discuss the subject at TICAD9.