Japan to issue vaccine passports for travel abroad from July

The certificates will be paper-based and not digital and issued by local governments. 

Japan has said that it will make a vaccine passport available for next month for the country's travellers, as governments around the world experiment with ways to relaunch and revive tourism and business trips. 

Government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato said that the country will soon issue certificates of vaccination for those who need it while visiting foreign countries.

The certificates will be paper-based and not digital and issued by local governments. 

The European Union is working on a digital vaccine passport this summer to welcome tourists and start the tourism industry that has suffered throughout the pandemic. Some European Union countries plan to introduce certificates at the national level.

The EU certificates will include information on whether a person has been vaccinated, had the virus, tested negative and recovered. 

Last month, the US reported that it too was considering special documentation for vaccinated Americans who want to travel abroad.

But certain states like Florida and Texas rejected the idea as they viewed it as a violation of people's basic rights. 

In Japan, company officials have been waiting for a vaccine document that would allow them to restart business travel. 

Though the country's vaccine rollout started slow, it has picked top the pace in recent week, and just over 6% of the population is fully vaccinated. 

Its borders are currently closed to almost all countries. But the rules will be relaxed for the Olympic Games, which will take place in Tokyo, opening on July 23.