Request to install the COVID-19 Contact-Confirming Application

Install the contact-confirming
application to protect yourself, yourloved ones, your community andsociety as a whole.
Ministry of Health, Labour andWelfare

COVID-19 ContactConfirming Application（Abbreviation: COCOA）*screen image

The contact-confirming application is asmartphone app that enables you to receive
notifications about the possibility of contact
with someone infected with the novel
coronavirus.

○This app uses the short-range communication
function (Bluetooth) on smartphones upon user
approval to receive notifications about thepossibility of contact with a person who has tested
positive for the novel coronavirus, while ensuring
anonymity for your privacy.
○Users can receive support, such as testing from apublic health center, sooner, by knowing that theymight have been in contact with someone who has
tested positive. The more users, the more effective
it will be in preventing the spread of infection.

Possibility of contact within 1 meterfor 15 minutes or more・Contact records will be managed in the device only and do not leave
the device.
・Where, when, and with whom there was contact will not be known byeither side.
*Information about the contact (random codes) is recorded within
the device only.
*Records are disabled after 14 days.
*Contact information, location information and other informationthat could identify the individual are not recorded.
*Information is not recorded when Bluetooth is turned off.

iPhone users

Android users

For details:
MHLW
websiteOffice for Novel Coronavirus Disease Control

Cabinet Secretariat National Strategy Office of Information andCommunication Technology

COVID-19 Contact-Conf irming Application : Q& A for users
Q1 What is a contact-confirming application?
It is an application using the short-range communication function (Bluetooth) on smartphones, upon user
approval, to receive notifications about the possibility of contact with a person who has tested positive for thenovel coronavirus, while ensuring anonymity for privacy. This app has been developed based on application
programming interfaces (APIs) offered by Apple and Google.
Q2 What are the benefits of using the app?
Users can receive support, such as testing from a public health center, sooner, by knowing they might have been incontact with someone who has tested positive. The more users, the more effective it will be in preventing thespread of infection.
Q3 How is contact with other users recorded?
The short-range communication function (Bluetooth) on smartphones is used to detect proximity to othersmartphones (within approximately 1 meter for 15 minutes or more) as contact. Information on close contact isencrypted and recorded only in the user's smartphone, and is automatically disabled after 14 days. The record
does not leave the device and the user can delete the record at will any time by deleting the app.

Q4 Is it possible that personal information may be collected?
You are not asked to enter your name, phone number, e-mail address or other information that could identify you.
Information on close contact with other smartphones is encrypted and recorded only in your smartphone, and is
automatically disabled after 14 days. Administrative agencies or third parties will not use or collect contact records
or personal information.
Q5 Is location information used?
Location information such as GPS is neither used nor recorded.
Q6 Is there criteria for detecting contact with other users?
When the smartphone you are using is close to someone else's, within approximately 1 meter for 15 minutes ormore, it is highly likely to be detected as close contact. Depending on conditions such as the performance of yourdevice, the surrounding environment (glass windows, thin walls, etc.), or the direction in which the device is held,distance and time might be measured differently. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Q7 Can I stop using it at any time?

You can stop using the app at will any time. All records from the last 14 days can be removed by deleting the app.
Q8 What kind of notifications will I receive with the app?
When a person who has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, upon agreement, registers that he/she tested
positive, you will be notified if there is a possibility that you were in close contact—within approximately 1 meterfor 15 minutes or more—with that person at most 14 days within the infectable period. Once you receive thenotice, if you press the “Find contact information for inspection” button displayed on the app screen, you cansearch contact information for the Medical Consultation Center, etc. by each prefecture will appear, providing
guidance for care such as testing.

Q9 Will I receive a notification immediately when a person who has tested positive for thenovel coronavirus registers on the app?

Notifications to users are sent about once a day. Depending on when the app registered the contact, you may notreceive a notification immediately.
Q10 What happens if I do not register on the app despite testing positive for the novel
coronavirus?

If you test positive, registration on the app is voluntary, based on the user's consent. By registering, people who may
have been in contact with you can receive support, such as testing from a public health center, sooner.
Q11 What should I do if I receive a notification that I may have been in contact with aperson who tested positive?

Follow the instructions displayed on the app screen and press the “Find contact information for inspection” button,
you can search contact information for the Medical Consultation Center, etc. by each prefecture will appear, andguidance for care such as testing will be provided.
Q12 What will the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare use the information obtainedfrom the app for?

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare will not use or collect user data from the app. We also do not askusers to enter their name, phone number or other personal information.