Japan To Scrap Current Nondigital Health Insurance Cards In 2024

The Japanese government said on Thursday it would phase out health insurance cards in principle by 2024 and integrate them into the country's "My Number" identification system.

Under this plan, My Number cards will be mandatory because the Japanese health insurance system covers all residents. The move is part of an effort to introduce ID cards which are currently frowned upon by around half of the people who carry them.

Digital Minister Taro Kono told a press conference that the government is considering moving the date for integrating driving licenses into the system from 2024, which was set at the end of the exercise.

Plans to integrate driver's license data into the national ID card system were announced in June 2020. Digital Japan Agency states that it has no plans to discontinue the current license format.

Launched in 2016, the ID card system gives every citizen and foreign resident of Japan a 12-digit number containing various personal information such as taxes and social security.

In order to accelerate the digitization of the country, the government plans to provide My Number cards to almost all citizens by March 2023.

But by the end of September, only 49% of people had created and collected cards, in part because people feared sharing personal information.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference that "we will work harder [to eliminate these threats]", noting that the government is working to educate the public about the security of the system. My Number.

The government said the system will create a comfortable environment for people performing various electronic procedures. For example, cardholders can go to markets without asking municipal authorities for a residence permit.

People can now use their My Number card as a health insurance card. With their consent, medical institutions can access the system to collect information on prescription drugs and medical examinations to prevent lifestyle diseases.

"It will help improve the quality of health care," Kono said.

To promote the My Number system, the government has decided to offer transaction points worth 20,000 yen ($136) to those who purchase or apply for the card later this year.

Kono says My Number cards will be added to Android smartphones from May 11 next year. But he said it's not yet clear when the cards might be used with iPhones.

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