Japan is eyeing to organize the implementation of vaccine passports this summer modeling the European Union’s COVID certificate system.
While being behind in the vaccine rollout compared to other first-world nations, Japan has finally stepped up its game and is scheduled to begin its general public inoculation this June 2021.
With a goal to resume international travel and boost tourism activities, Japan is reportedly looking to implement the use of vaccine passports that may specify the brand of the vaccine and the date of inoculation.
Last February, President Joe Biden of the United States also encouraged the government to assess the feasibility of linking COVID 19 vaccine certificates with other vaccination documents and producing digital versions of this document.
For decades, some countries already require vaccination certificates proving travelers that they have been vaccinated against diseases such as yellow fever, rubella, and cholera. So, this concept is not really new. However, these vaccination certificates usually called Yellow Card, normally are in a form of stamped and signed paper certificates. What governments are eyeing now are digitized versions of vaccine passes. Which issues on privacy and accessibility are being highly considered.
The use of digital vaccine passports would definitely make the process smoother especially for airlines compared to using paper certificates.
The Japanese government plans to initially make use of paper certificates, then to be followed by its digital form hopefully by the end of the year in a form of a smartphone app. The government is also considering if other countries are also implementing the same measure in order to negotiate reciprocal entry arrangements with them.
Currently, the government has not made any public announcements yet about the implementation of vaccine passports. However, the number one motivation behind this initiative is to boost the economy once again by allowing business travelers to travel abroad and to make it easier for foreign residents to visit their home country.
