Japan intends to issue COVID-19 inoculation certificates this summer to vaccinated residents traveling abroad, hoping to give business travel and other economic activities a boost, Report informs referring to Nikkei.
Such so-called vaccine passports are gaining use around the world. The European Union will adopt them in July ahead of lifting restrictions on travel within the bloc.
Some senior Japanese government officials already carry unofficial certificates when they travel to Europe, the US or elsewhere because they increasingly are asked whether they have been vaccinated.
An interagency team led by Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato is discussing an official program for businesspeople and others. Plans call for issuing a paper certificate this summer, followed by a digital version - possibly used through a smartphone app - by the end of the year.
Japan has lagged other developed nations in vaccinations, but now is procuring and distributing more doses made by Pfizer and Moderna. The country has been inoculating residents 65 and older since April, and vaccinations in corporate workplaces will start on June 21.
Vaccine passports are expected to ease the way for businesspeople in different countries to meet in person by reducing the risk for both the traveler and host nation.