TOKYO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Japan will only receive limiteddoses of COVID-19 vaccines for the first months of theinoculation rollout and shots for the elderly will bedistributed gradually, the country's inoculation chief said.

Pfizer Inc, the maker of Japan's only approvedCOVID-19 vaccine, is ramping up production in Europe, but thoseincreased supplies are not likely to reach Japan until May,Administrative Reform Minister Taro Kono cautioned on Sunday inan interview with national broadcaster NHK.

"We would like to start vaccinations for the elderly inApril, but unfortunately the number of doses allocated to themwill be very limited at first, so we want to start slowly," Konosaid.

Japan has negotiated to receive more than 500 million dosesof COVID-19 vaccines developed by Western drugmakers. Butdomestic regulators have only approved one vaccine so far, andthe nation remains dependent on imported supplies that have beenheld up by production snags and export controls.

Since Kono, the minister for administrative reform, wastapped last month to lead Japan's vaccination push, he hasresisted giving firm timelines for when doses will arrive and bedistributed. Even so, the government has stuck to a pledge tosecure enough shots for the whole population of 126 million byJune.

Japan has negotiated to receive 144 million doses ofPfizer's vaccine this year, and its second shipment of about450,000 shots arrived on Sunday.

The inoculation campaign kicked off last week with doctorsand nurses getting the first shots. The government isprioritising vaccinations for around 4.7 million medicalworkers, about 1 million more than initially estimated.(Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto and Rocky Swift; Editing byStephen Coates)