By Rocky Swift

TOKYO, Reuters Moderna (NASDAQ:) Inc will sponsor sumo flags as part of its first promotion in Japan. The U.S.-based company is trying to leverage its newly found renown in COVID-19 vaccins, and regain market share from Japanese compatriots Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:)

Banner bearers, also known as “kensho-hata”, hold the flags. They are placed around the sumo circle and serve as advertising for products such as juices, vitamins and rice.

Moderna’s banner was unveiled on March 13, at the beginning of the two-week national spring tournament. It is a plain white design, with the company name written in sumo-style chunky red script.

Moderna’s representative director in Japan Rami Suzuki stated that vaccines make us more resilient and stronger as a society.

This promotion signals that the company is looking to grow in Japan. Japan has already come to know Moderna thanks 50 million doses its COVID-19 vaccine, which is mRNA-based. It was imported by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd.

These doses comprised less than 20% in Japan’s first double-shot vaccination push. The bulk of Japan’s second inoculation drive was made up vaccine Pfizer created with Germany’s BioNTechSE (NASDAQ:). Moderna accounts for 42% of the booster shot.

According to the government, vaccines for the fourth dosage of vaccines were split almost evenly between two vendors last week. The government intends to procure 75 million doses at Pfizer and 70 millions from Moderna.

Suzuki stated that Moderna holds Japan’s rights to the fourth shot. It is currently in development.

Takeda indicated that Moderna was in conversation about distribution.

Moderna, a company founded in Massachusetts in 2010, was headquartered in Cambridge. Suzuki, who had previously been employed at the pharmaceutical companies Janssen and Eisai Co.

Suzuki stated that the company will combine COVID-19 with influenza vaccines and introduce them to the market in 2023. Suzuki said the company could add a third shot for respiratory syncytial viruses (RSV).

Moderna’s Japan expansion comes at a time when Moderna expands its Asia presence through a plan for mRNA vaccinations to be produced in Australia, as well as four subsidiary companies in Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore.

A vaccine production agreement has also been made with South Korean drugmaker Samsung (KS : BioLogics Ltd.