Japan's flawed COVID-19 tracing app is digital black eye for Tokyo

Software failed to notify at-risk Android users for 4 months without a fix

20210204N Japan smartphones

A flaw in Japan's government-backed COVID-19 contact-tracing app was overlooked for months. (Photo by Yo Inoue)

KIYOSHI ANDO, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- When Japan rolled out its contact-tracing app last summer to fight the coronavirus, nobody expected that a major flaw affecting about one-third of users would go overlooked for more than four months.

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