Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met Bill Gates, chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on 19 August to discuss global health, vaccine equity and other development issues. Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito joined the talks. During the meeting Ishiba pledged to contribute ¥810 billion (about US$5.5 billion) to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, over the next five years to expand immunisation programmes for children in low-income countries. The commitment positions Japan as one of Gavi’s largest donors at a time when several wealthy nations are trimming aid budgets. The discussion came ahead of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, where Japan also aims to mobilise US$1.5 billion for impact investing in Africa. Gates welcomed the pledge and urged Japanese companies and research institutions to step up development of vaccines and other health technologies that benefit emerging economies.