A certificate generation method executed by a computer, includes receiving specific information and configuration information of a communication device collected by an information processing apparatus, the specific information and the configuration information being transmitted from the communication device provided with the information processing apparatus having tamper resistance; determining a communication address of the communication device based on the specific information if a combination of the received specific information and the received configuration information of the communication device is equivalent to information stored beforehand in a storage unit; generating an electronic certificate including a part of or all of the specific information and the configuration information, and the determined communication address; and transmitting the electronic certificate to the communication device.