Japan may issue Covid vax certificates

Tokyo: A Japanese Minister has said there was a "possibility" that certificates to those who have been vaccinated in the country against the novel coronavirus may be issued.

"If requested internationally, we will have no other choice but to consider issuing inoculation certificates," Kono said in a parliamentary session on Monday.

He said that the certificates could be "processed through government vaccine rollout management systems", reports Xinhua news agency.

Kono's remarks come as government sources said Monday an exit from the state of emergency "looked likely" for the greater Tokyo region.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a one-month state of emergency for the greater Tokyo area on January 7, before expanding the emergency measure to a total of 11 prefectures.

It was then extended for another month for the majority of prefectures to March 7 and by two more weeks to March 21 for Tokyo, Saitama, Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures.

In the past 24 hours, 695 new Covid-19 infections were registered in the country which increased the overall total to 449,318.

A total of 8,632 people have died nationwide from the virus, with infection figures continuing to rise in major urban areas, including Osaka, Tokyo and three of the capital's neighbouring prefectures currently under the state of emergency.