COVID-19 in Japan: An update on national policy, research, clinical practice, and vaccination campaign

As countries worldwide take steps such as vaccination campaigns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, academia is actively promoting the timely sharing of scientific information across borders. As an international academic journal, Global Health & Medicine (GHM) has quickly accepted COVID-19-related papers and published results of series of studies since the beginning of 2020. In particular, the "First Special Issue on COVID-19" (April 2020) and the "Second Special Issue on COVID- 19" (April 2021) included a wide range of articles presenting frontline data on the COVID-19 response in Japan, China, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, West Africa, and other various countries and areas worldwide. This "Third Special Issue on COVID-19" (April 2022) features the practical experiences of front-line clinicians, researchers, and other healthcare professionals from Japan and it presents updated data on i) national policy, ii) research, iii) clinical practice, and iv) the vaccination campaign. Our hope is that the rapid publication and sharing of information will help, in any way possible way, in the global fight against COVID-19.