The Japanese government is the first to give NFTs to their local officials, specifically its mayors. The government gave out NFTs as a reward for the hard work done by local governments using digital technology to tackle and resolve local problems.
During the "Summer Digi Denkoshien 2022" ceremony, the awards were presented by the Cabinet Secretariat, a government organization run by the country's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Fumio Kishida, the nation's prime minister, also attended the event, according to Coinpost.
Seven Mayors were rewarded!
Seven mayors were honored for the initiatives they took in their cities to promote the digital economy. They included the mayor of Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture, whose government advocated the use of electric vehicles for local deliveries. Maebashi in the Gunma Prefecture was also awarded an NFT prize for their concept for a platform that makes use of mobile device cameras to update the status of traffic conditions in real-time.
The very same prototype used to disperse NFTs at an event hosted by the Liberal Democratic Party Youth Bureau was used to issue the Ethereum-based proof-of-attendance (POAP) NFTs. However, and b ecause these NFTs cannot be transferred, they cannot be auctioned on the secondary market.
Japan has been always known for its innovation and technological advancement!
After Kishida indicated his support for changing the country's crypto tax regulations to foster Web-3-related advancement during his speech in parliament at the end of May, NFTs were adopted as a means of rewarding good work.