Pfizer asked the Japanese government for approval to manufacture and sell its coronavirus vaccine in the country. The U.S. drugmaker announced the move on December 18.

This is the first approval request for a COVID-19 vaccine filed with Japan’s health ministry.

Pfizer is seeking a fast-track approval procedure in which some of the submission documents can be simplified for drugs that are already approved overseas. The vaccine has already been administered in Britain and the United States. The drug has shown 95 percent efficacy in international clinical trials. Pfizer will submit the results of the initial clinical trial in Japan to the ministry by February.

If approved, vaccination in Japan could start as early as next March.