Jan 17 (NHK) - Japan's health ministry plans to establish a system to effectively track foreign nationals who tested positive for coronavirus after entering the country.
The authorities currently register the names and nationalities of foreigners entering Japan at quarantine stations.
But the database is separate from the nationwide system called HER-SYS, which was launched last May to grasp the country's coronavirus situation in real time.
The ministry is now working to link the two data systems using the passport numbers of travelers so that health authorities across the country can share the information swiftly.
Officials plan to connect the two systems later this month.