TOKYO: A group of Japanese doctors and university professors, united under the name “The United Citizens for Stopping mRNA Vaccines,” have raised serious concerns about the Replicon vaccine. This vaccine, scheduled to be administered to Japanese citizens in October, is being opposed due to what they branded as identified risks.

Replicon vaccine is a novel coronavirus vaccine developed by US company Arcturus Therapeutics after clinical trials involving 17,000 participants.

At a press conference, Dr. MURAKAMI Yasufumi, professor emeritus at the Tokyo University of Science, said there were problems with the Replicon vaccine for the JN.1 mutant strain scheduled in the fall, noting that “the self-amplifying mRNA vaccine is genetically modified and has never been tested on humans.”

“The Replicon vaccine is a self-amplifying, gene-engineered (mRNA) vaccine that mankind has never experienced before,” said Dr. Murakami.

This replicon vaccine uses a self-replicating function called replicase to replicate the mRNA in the body, but without the function of a brake, the recipient may continue to produce large amounts of spike protein. It has also been pointed out that the vaccine components may be transmitted from the recipient to other people or animals; therefore, Dr. Murakami has called for the vaccine to be unlaunched until its safety has been confirmed.

Dr. SANO Shigetoshi, a professor at Kochi University and a dermatologist, believes COVID-19 vaccines endanger people’s health. “After the COVID-19 vaccination, I saw an increase in patients complaining of vitiligo and other unprecedented symptoms,” Dr. Sano said. “The spike protein can disturb the immune system.” 

Dr. Sano said he successfully detected spike proteins from skin disease sites. The vaccinated patients Sano examined showed a strong association between the disease site and the spike protein.

The group’s doctors point to 777 vaccine-related deaths and 7,970 health hazard certificates in Japan. The cases applied to the health hazard certificates undergo a careful double review from a medical standpoint. The most common cases are neuropathy, autoimmune diseases, and cardiac diseases, including myocarditis/pericarditis.

In contrast, the more serious cases include sudden death, myocardial infarction, and abdominal aortic dissection, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.

Opponents of the vaccine have pointed to a “disturbing” trend: deaths that they claim are directly linked to the vaccine. They argue that many vaccine recipients do not recover well, and their health deteriorates gradually. In some tragic cases, they die immediately after vaccination. 

The group asked why the government is going ahead with the use of the Replicon vaccine, whose safety cannot be confirmed.