Japan has canceled the purchase of 40 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, citing a lack of need.

The cancelation amounts to a third of the 120 million shots initially ordered by the Japanese government last year.

Japan's health ministry authorized the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last August. Its use was limited to people aged 40 and older in principle, due to extremely rare cases of the vaccine being reportedly linked to blood clots.

Around 120,000 doses have been administered by municipalities over the past eight months. Recipients have mainly been people allergic to components of the mRNA vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna.

Japan has also donated around 43 million of its AstraZeneca shots to developing nations, with plans underway to send more overseas.

Health ministry officials said it was not possible to comment on the cancelation fee due to contractual restraints. They added that the cancelation would have no impact on domestic vaccine supplies.

AstraZeneca said its vaccine was offered in coordination with governments, based on when and how many doses were needed. The company developed the vaccine jointly with the University of Oxford.