In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines are being developed by many countries for the safety of their population. However, people of various nations have revealed hesitancy towards being vaccinated, citing reasons such as side effects, safety, a lack of trust in vaccine effectiveness, etc. This study aimed to explore the willingness of people in Japan to be vaccinated or not be vaccinated and the reasons for either decision. A sample of 1100 respondents was drawn from an internet research panel, and a questionnaire survey was administered to evaluate their willingness to be vaccinated by gender, age group, place of living, and underlying illness history. After using descriptive statistics and the chi-squared test to evaluate categorical variables, 65.7% of the participants indicated a willingness to be vaccinated; among them were older age groups, those in rural areas, and those with underlying medical conditions. In addition, males showed less hesitancy towards being vaccinated. Although selectivity bias exists, this study is the first to examine the willingness of Japanese people to be vaccinated. Since vaccine hesitancy and refusal ratio were found to be higher in Japan than in other countries, policy efforts are needed to make the country’s vaccination program viable.

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We have developed a new half-membrane-electrode assembly (MEA)-type cell that allows us to conduct attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) measurements at the Pt/Nafion interface under humidified N(2)/O(2) atmosphere. The cell consists of a gas-diffusion type anode placed on a carbon separator with a gas flow field, a Pt film cathode deposited chemically on an Si ATR prism and a Nafion NRE(R)211 electrolyte sandwiched between them. The construction allows the control of the atmosphere at the cathode by those at the anode via the electrolyte of 20-microm thickness. An infrared absorption band was observed at 1400-1403 cm(-1) under humidified oxygen atmosphere in close association with the appearance of ORR current. Its absence under N(2) atmosphere and insensitivity to the change from H(2)O to D(2)O humidification led us to ascribe the band to the O-O vibration of the adsorbed oxygen molecule O(2)(ads). The band intensity increased with increasing ORR current but decreased significantly in the limiting current region. However, the stability of the species at potentials as high as 1.1 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) led us to rule out the possibility that the band could be due to adsorbed superoxide O(2)(-).