Japan has not labeled COVID-19 vaccine 'most deadly drug'

What is the claim?

Posts circulating on social media falsely claim that Japan has named the COVID-19 vaccine "the most deadly drug in the history of medicine." The posts share a screenshot of an article headlined, "Japan Officially Names Covid mRNA Vaccine' Most Deadly Drug in History of Humankind."

One such Instagram post (archived here) includes a screenshot of an article that reads, "In a stunning declaration, Japanese scientists have labeled COVID-19 vaccines the most deadly drug in the history of medicine, asserting that the individuals responsible for this global health crisis must be prosecuted." 

We found a Facebook post (archived here) linking to an article from The People's Voice with the same headline and content as the viral posts. The narrative is also being shared on X (formerly Twitter) by users, including former Brexit Party politician Jim Ferguson, who is known to spread false and misleading information. The archive of his post and similar ones can be found here, here, and here.

Screenshot of viral posts circulating online. (Source: X/Instagram/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false. Japan has made no such announcement about COVID-19 vaccines. 

What did we find? 

Logically Facts found no official statement from the Japanese government or any research organizations in Japan calling COVID-19 vaccines a deadly drug. We also looked for news reports about the alleged labeling but found no such report. 

The claim stems from an article published on November 7, 2024, by The People's Voice (archived here), a clickbait website known for sharing misinformation. Logically Facts has previously debunked narratives that were pushed by the website. 

The People's Voice article does not mention any specific Japanese researchers and provides no evidence to support the claim.

We looked into Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's official website and found that COVID-19 vaccines are still being administered in the country. The ministry website states, "People aged 65 and older, those with underlying medical conditions, and health care workers will be vaccinated twice a year while the others once a year." Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax are the approved inoculations in the country. 

It states that the routine COVID-19 vaccination program, starting in October 2024, will be managed by local governments and will also target the Omicron JN.1 variant of the COVID-19 virus. Japan's broadcasting corporation, NHK, also states that people will receive vaccinations by the end of March 2025.  

Furthermore, if there had been such an official call on COVID-19 vaccines, inoculations would have been halted and would have made major headlines. However, we did not find any such reports. 

Logically Facts have also debunked similar claims about vaccines in Japan earlier, which can be read here and here.  

We have contacted Japan's Ministry of Health for a comment, and will update the check as and when we receive a response. 

The verdict

There is no evidence to corroborate the claim that Japan has called COVID-19 vaccines a deadly drug. The claim originates from a website known to spread misinformation.