Japan to issue online vaccine certificates in December

Sep 05, 2021 | News On Japan

Sep 05, 2021 (Nikkei) - The Japanese government will issue online COVID-19 vaccination certificates, starting in December.

The government plans to issue the certificate via a QR code through a smartphone app. The code will be scanned to process vaccination information.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and all other cabinet members will attend a digital society promotion conference on Monday, where they will officially approve the "digital vaccine passports." The project will be designated as a priority for the Digital Agency, which was launched Sept. 1.

An image of Japan's proposed digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate displayed on a smartphone.

The government and municipalities currently issue vaccine certificates on paper. Municipal offices nationwide handle the work and applications generally must be made on paper. The certificates are intended for overseas travel rather than domestic use.

The government has begun devising a method to read and confirm the QR code displayed on the smartphone app at airports.

The most recent Group of Seven summit, in its joint statement, said a common standard was necessary to regulate flows of people, including mutual authentication of apps. Specifications will be set based on standards drawn up by organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Japan will create a system that complies with these international standards. It will also consider whether smartphone-based certificates can be used for domestic purposes such as dining out, travel and admission to events.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.