TOKYO: Japan is thinking of prioritising COVID-19 vaccines for Olympic athletes, Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday, sparking a furore on social media as the country's inoculation drive significantly lags behind other major economies.

Only the Pfizer vaccine has so far been approved and just 1 million people have received the first dose since February out of Japan's population of 126 million. Vaccinations for the elderly are only set to start next week.