The Yomiuri ShimbunHow can the present situation, in which My Number identification cards have not come into wide use, be improved? The convenience of the cards should be enhanced, while taking into account the need to protect personal information.

The My Number system, under which a 12-digit identification number is assigned to all nationals, was launched in 2016. The system is designed to improve administrative services and make administrative work more efficient by linking together personal information that was previously managed separately by various administrative organizations.

My Number identification cards are issued to those who request them. The IC chip on the card has an electronic function to identify the cardholder, thus increasing its convenience by enabling administrative procedures to be handled online.

Yet use of the cards remains at only a little above 10 percent of the population, even though they were introduced three years ago. Many people say they see little merit in obtaining a card, and anxiety about it being lost or stolen is also strong.

Utilization of the card as a form of ID has been limited to tax payments and obtaining a certification of residence at a convenience store, for instance.

The government needs to take appropriate measures to achieve widespread use of the card, by realizing the severity of the present state of affairs.

In the current Diet session, the government aims to realize legal revisions that would enable people to use the My Number identification card as a health insurance card. Under the envisaged system, medical institutions authorized to treat patients covered by health insurance and pharmacies equipped with the card-reading system will confirm patients’ information online starting at the end of fiscal 2020.

Promote information-sharing

The intention to heighten the card’s convenience by expanding the range of its utilization seems appropriate. Such endeavors must be moved forward smoothly while winning the understanding of health insurance associations and those engaged in medical services.

It is also important to reinforce the base for services by promoting information-sharing among administrative organizations. As of October last year, there were about 1,200 procedures for which information must be exchanged among different administrative organizations. They are applied to things like administrative work related to child benefits and nursing care insurance premiums, as well as the imposition of taxes.

In line with the expansion of relevant services, the protection of personal information will become ever more important. Under the system, each administrative organization will strictly manage information, while restricting the number of officials engaged in such tasks. It is also crucial to strengthen the information management system.

The bill to promote the digitization of administrative procedures, which the government intends to get passed in the current Diet session, would build a system under which, for instance, administrative procedures required in connection with changing residences can be handled via personal computers or smartphones. For such procedures, My Number identification cards would be used to identify the individuals involved.

To promote the use of the cards themselves, the government has also incorporated into the bill its policy of abolishing the “notice cards,” which were sent to notify people of their being assigned an ID number and that can also be used as documents to verify their ID numbers in place of the cards. The government should spare no effort to make the planned abolition widely known, so as not to cause confusion.

The government is aiming to realize a system under which the merits of the digitization of administrative procedures can be enjoyed by all of society. This will make it essential for local governments and private-sector entities to also get involved in these endeavors.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 18, 2019)Speech

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