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Japan begins accepting “vaccine passport” applications for travel

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Japan began accepting applications for so-called vaccine passports on Monday, allowing people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to travel internationally.

According to the Japanese government, Italy, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Poland have agreed to relax Covid-19 quarantine rules for holders of Japanese certificates, and South Korea will accept them as one of the documents required to exempt holders from quarantine requirements, according to Xinhua.

The Japanese government is currently in talks with other countries in order to expand the use of its vaccine passports.

Vaccination certificates will be official records issued free of charge by municipalities, containing information about an administered vaccine, the date of vaccination, and personal information such as name and passport number.

A successful application necessitates the submission of documents such as the application form, passport, and vaccination tickets in person or by mail.

The application form and certificate are currently only available in paper form.

The Japanese government, on the other hand, is planning to implement digital application and issuance.

The Japan Business Federation, also known as Keidanren, has proposed using the certificates to raise event attendance caps and for restaurant discounts in Japan.

However, there is concern that such use will increase the burden on local governments that process applications and lead to discrimination against unvaccinated people.

Nonetheless, some Japanese restaurants and hotels already provide discounts to people who show their vaccination records.

About the author

Polina Tikhonova

Polina Tikhonova from Kyiv is Insider Paper’s Editor/Writer. Besides editing pieces, Polina covers articles with a focus on World affairs and politics at Insider Paper. Polina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. Her articles and news reports have been published by many newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs, and online media sources across the globe. Polina is fluent in English, German, Ukrainian, and Russian.







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