Society

Japan to start using digital vaccination certificates from Dec. 20 via smartphone app

Dec 14 (Japan Times) - The government will start offering a digital version of its COVID-19 vaccination certificates on Dec. 20., the Digital Agency said Monday.

Users will need to install a special app on their smartphones so that they can obtain the COVID-19 vaccination certificates by verifying their identity using their My Number social security and taxation identification cards.

The digital certificates will be used mainly for immigration procedures abroad, and as a pass for participating events or entering restaurants while under a state of emergency.

By encouraging the use of both written and digital vaccination certificates, the government aims to minimize the impact on economic and social activities of any resurgence of the coronavirus, officials said.

The vaccination certificate app will be available in two versions, one for iPhones and the other for Android smartphones, on Dec. 20. There will be two types of certificate, one for use in Japan and the other for overseas.

The certificates will contain information such as the user’s name, date of birth, types of vaccine and dates of vaccinations. It will be possible to use them for entry procedures in 76 overseas economies as of Monday.

Source: テレ東BIZ

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