Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his first numerical target for COVID-19 booster shots 1 million jabs per day at the earliest date possible in February to battle the Omicron-led surge in COVID-19 cases.
Health minister Shigeyuki Goto rejected a media report that said the government will spend 1 billion yen ($8.7 million) to redistribute unused and stockpiled “Abenomasks” but would not say what the cost will be.
“Hanko” personal seals will no longer be required on marriage and divorce notification forms but are likely to be kept as an option. (Toshiki Horigome)
The central government has resigned itself to realizing that its effort to pry hanko out of the public s hands is unlikely to succeed anytime soon.
So, it has decided to keep allowing the use of the personal seals, though they ll no longer be mandatory.
The space on marriage, divorce and other forms to be submitted to authorities for people to stamp their hanko will likely stay. The compromise comes despite the government s push to eliminate requirements for hanko from administrative formalities.