Japan's Vaccine Passport to Be Used Only by Overseas Travelers

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The Japanese government plans to issue vaccine passports proving COVID-19 vaccination as early as late this month.

Katsunobu Kato, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, appeared on an NHK current affairs discussion program on the 11th and announced that local governments will start accepting applications from the 26th to issue COVID-19 vaccination certificates. The issuance targets residents, both Japanese and foreign nationals, traveling abroad from Japan who wish to apply in order to receive eased quarantine measures through proof of vaccination when entering other countries.

The vaccine passports issued by Japan will be in written form and include information such as the holder's name, nationality, passport number, and vaccination dates. Regarding the use of these vaccine passports within Japan, Secretary Kato expressed a reserved stance, citing concerns that it could lead to unfair discrimination or coercion between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

Economic organizations such as Keidanren have proposed to the government to introduce vaccine passports to ease entry restrictions at sports stadiums or link them to benefits like restaurant discounts.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.