On Jan. 12, 2023, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approved lump sum monetary payments to the families of five people in the country who died after getting COVID shots. Each payment is valued at ¥44.2 million ($345,677), and there is also a ¥212,000 ($1,658) contribution for funeral expenses.1 2 3
The five individuals, ranging in age from 36 to 96 years old, died of acute heart failure, hemorrhagic shock and other causes after receiving COVID shots. Four of the individuals were reported to have suffered from underlying conditions such as high blood pressure.1
It is unclear which of the COVID shots were administered or how many. Four COVID shots have been approved by the government of Japan for use in that country, including Pfizer/BioNTech’s Comirnaty and Moderna/NIAID’s Spikevax—both messenger RNA (mRNA) biologics—and AstraZeneca/Oxford University’s Vaxzevria and Novavax’s Nuvaxovid adenovirus vectored vaccines.4
In September 2022, the MHLW approved the bivalent versions of the Comirnaty and Spikevax shots formulated specifically to help protect against the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.5
According to a news report by NHK, the MHLW said it “could not deny a causal link between their deaths and the vaccinations, given the contents of their death certificates and clinical records.”1
An article in the daily newspaper The Mainichi noted:
Since it is impossible to eliminate adverse reactions and health problems caused by vaccinations, the Japanese government has a relief system in place to provide benefits such as medical expenses in cases where a causal relationship with vaccination cannot be ruled out.4 6
Payments Made for Other Deaths “Causally Linked” to COVID Shots
The MHLW has previously approved similar payments to 15 other people in Japan whose deaths were determined to be “causally linked” to the COVID shots they received. The first of these payments was approved in July 2022 for the family of a 91-year-old woman who suffered an allergic reaction and heart attack linked to a COVID shot.1 2 3 7
Additionally, the MHLW has approved payments for at least 850 people who suffered adverse reactions to COVID shots. As of July 2022, the ministry had received applications for vaccine-related compensation from 3,680 people.
Source: Payout for Deaths Linked to COVID Shots Approved in Japan – The Vaccine Reaction