For Japanese citizens and foreign residents alike, Japan will be issuing vaccine passports for those who need to travel.
On July 11th, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato appeared on NHK's current affairs discussion program Sunday Debate (日曜討論/Nichiyo Toron) to discuss the progress of all things vaccination in Japan, and one piece of news in particular has inspired a buzz of discussion: vaccine passports. According to Kato, unlike the digital phone apps being employed by many countries around the world, the Japanese government will start by issuing paper certificates to any COVID-19 vaccinated residents of Japan who apply for the document. Applications will be accepted starting July 26th, and digital certificates will be introduced at a later date.
The "vaccine passports" to be issued by the government will contain fairly basic information in Japanese and English, including the vaccinated person's name, nationality, and passport number, plus details on the exact vaccine injected, along with time, date, and location for the vaccination.
The use of vaccine passports has become a matter of course around the world, and with this news of a Japanese certificate, some voices in Japan have tentatively begun to suggest that they might be used domestically for crowded facilities and events. But for the time being, it looks like the Suga Cabinet will hold back on permitting domestic use of the certificate. The vehement and aggressive opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine found in other parts of the world aren't quite as obvious in Japan, but a not-insignificant portion of the population is against the vaccine, noticeably hesitant, or at least clearly waiting to get vaccinated for the time being. Official bodies have been careful to clarify that vaccination is not obligatory for the general public, and there are concerns that using a vaccine passport domestically might create an atmosphere of unfair discrimination or give the impression that vaccines have become compulsory. Commenting on the subject, Minister Kato added that the decision of whether or not to use any kind of domestic vaccine passport system in Japan in the future would be reviewed and discussed separately.
But while there are no plans to mandate the vaccine, the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren/経団連) seems to be looking to incentivize it, in one way or another. Japan's largest economic organization is apparently proposing a way to link vaccine passports with "vaccine incentives" to the Japanese government, giving examples such as eased restrictions for sports games and other large-scale events, or discounts at eateries. Whether the federation's plans are approved by the government or it's still deemed too early for such a plan, with vaccination finally moving at a decent clip in Japan, it looks like there will be plenty of interesting news in the coming weeks and months.
For more info and updates from Japan, check Japankuru for new articles, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
Details
NAME:Vaccine Passports in Japan
PROFILE
The latest news from Japan - learn what's new in the land of the rising sun, from an international group right on the scene.
COMMENT
FEATURED MEDIA
VIEW MORESee Kyoto Clearly With Your New Glasses #japankuru #kyoto #jins #교토여행 #진즈 #京都 #교토수족관 #가모가와 #kamogawa #kyotoaquarium
A Very Special Trip on the Ferry Sunflower #japankuru #ferrysunflower #hokkaidotrip #japanexperience #japantrip #girlstrip #oarai #tomakomai #北海道 #北海道旅行 #茨城 #홋가이도 #일본선박여행 #토마코마이 #이바라키 #북해도 #페리여행 #여행에미치다 #여자끼리 #日本渡輪 #sunflower號 #坐船旅行 #日本女子旅 #日本體驗
Japanese Makeup Shopping • A Trip to Kamakura & Enoshima With Canmake’s Cool-Toned Summer Makeup #pr #canmake #enoshima #enoden #에노시마 #캔메이크 #japanesemakeup #japanesecosmetics
⚔️The Robot Restaurant is gone, but the Samurai Restaurant is here to take its place. Check it out, and don't forget your coupon! 🍣신주쿠의 명소 로봇 레스토랑이 사무라이 레스토랑으로 부활! 절찬 쿠폰 발급중 💃18歲以上才能入場的歌舞秀,和你想的不一樣!拿好優惠券去看看~ #tokyo #shinjuku #samurairestaurant #robotrestaurant #tokyotrip #도쿄여행 #신주쿠 #사무라이레스토랑 #이색체험 #할인이벤트 #歌舞伎町 #東京景點 #武士餐廳 #日本表演 #日本文化體驗 #japankuru #japantrip #japantravel #japanlovers #japan_of_insta
Japanese appliance & electronics shopping with our KOJIMA x BicCamera coupon! 用JAPANKURU的KOJIMA x BicCamera優惠券買這些正好❤️ 코지마 x 빅 카메라 쿠폰으로 일본 가전 제품 쇼핑하기 #pr #japankuru #japanshopping #kojima #biccamera #japaneseskincare #yaman #dji #osmopocket3 #skincaredevice #日本購物 #美容儀 #相機 #雅萌 #日本家電 #일본여행 #면세 #여행꿀팁 #일본쇼핑리스트 #쿠폰 #일본쇼핑 #일본브랜드 #할인 #코지마 #빅카메라 #japankurucoupon
Odaiba's DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is home to the famous real-size 20m-tall Unicorn Gundam, and the popular shopping center has even more Gundam on the inside! Check out the Gundam Base Tokyo on the 7th floor for shelves upon shelves of Gunpla, and the Gundam Base Tokyo Annex on the 2nd floor for cool anime merchandise. Both shops have tons of limited-edition items! #pr #odaiba #tokyo #tokyotrip #japantrip #japantravel #PR #divercity #divercitytokyoplaza #tokyoshopping #gundam #unicorngundam #gundambasetokyo #anime #otaku #gunpla #japankuru #오다이바 #다이바시티도쿄 #오다이바건담 #건담 #일본건담 #건프라 #건담베이스도쿄