TOKYO/JAKARTA -- The rollout of Japan's COVID-19 vaccination program will be a gauge of how quickly it can rebound from an economic slowdown. But it will also be a harsh reality check for one of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's key policies: upgrading the country with digital technology.
Since taking office in September, Suga has outlined a number of ambitious online service policies, including the setting up of a digital agency later this year. But drafts of the vaccination scheme sent by the health ministry to local governments indicate that it will rely heavily on paper documents and manual labor.
