People queue up to refill their oxygen tanks at a filling station in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

       JAKARTA (Kyodo) -- Japanese citizens living in Indonesia do not need to prove they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus when departing international airports, including Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, a Japanese embassy official said Tuesday.

       Concern had grown among unvaccinated Japanese in the country following an Indonesian government announcement Sunday that starting Tuesday, foreign residents must be vaccinated before traveling within and out of the country.

       Many Japanese who are hesitant to be vaccinated in Indonesia are planning to get free vaccine shots upon their return to Japan under a government inoculation program established for temporarily repatriated nationals that begins Aug. 1.

       Indonesia began a free vaccination drive in January and a company-funded one in May. However, vaccines offered under the programs have been limited to those sourced from China or the British-developed AstraZeneca Plc shots.

       The Japanese Embassy in Jakarta has asked the Indonesian government to reconsider the requirement that those departing require vaccinations. It sent embassy staff to the airport early Tuesday and confirmed that Japanese residents flying back to Japan have not encountered problems, the official said.

       But Japanese who live in regional areas and need to get to an international airport by air or other means to leave Indonesia must still show proof of vaccination.

       Fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant, Indonesia is in the midst of a surge in virus cases. It has reported record numbers of deaths and infections over recent days.

       The Indonesian government said Sunday that starting Tuesday, it would also require foreigners to show proof of vaccination when entering the country. Foreigners arriving in the country also must show proof of a negative PCR test and undergo a test upon arrival.

       They must then be quarantined for eight days at hotels overseen by the government and be tested again when the quarantine period ends.

       Meanwhile, the Japanese embassy said Tuesday at least 280 Japanese citizens living in Indonesia have been infected with the coronavirus resulting in 10 deaths, up from seven fatalities as of last Friday. Those that died were in their 40s to 70s, the embassy said.

       The actual number of Japanese citizens infected with the coronavirus is likely higher than 280 as the current data is based only on cases reported to the embassy, it added.

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