Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that his government will mainly adhere to its plan to scrap health insurance certificates and combine their functionality with "My Number" identification cards, despite public skepticism over the policy.
But Kishida said at a press conference that the administration will carry out necessary inspections by the fall and then decide, after assessing the outcome of the probes, whether "additional time will be needed."
A series of personal information leaks and registration errors related to My Number cards have heightened public anxiety about the ID system, triggering a decline in approval ratings for Kishida's Cabinet in recent months.
Kishida said his government will prioritize improving trust in the national ID system by examining all relevant data, with the aim of pushing ahead with the integration plan.
Apologizing for the troubles with the My Number card system, he said, "We will regain the trust of the people and earnestly advance essential digital reforms in our country."
As part of efforts to reduce concern about the policy shift, the government will allow those who do not have a My Number card or have not registered for one to use a "status confirmation certificate" for up to five years, Kishida said.
In October 2022, Digital Minister Taro Kono suddenly proposed a plan to integrate national insurance certificates with My Number cards in the fall of 2024, as Japan has lagged behind other major economies in digital transformation.
Numerous My Number cards, however, have been erroneously registered with the information of other individuals, including bank accounts used to receive state benefits.
In spite of increasing public awareness about the issues, legislation was enacted in early June to abolish the existing health insurance certificate system, effectively making the usage of My Number cards mandatory.
In a rare case of an intragovernmental probe, meanwhile, the Personal Information Protection Commission has started an on-site investigation of the Digital Agency, with an eye on issuing administrative guidance to the public entity headed by Kono.
A Kyodo News survey conducted last month showed 76.6 percent of respondents expressed their desire for the My Number integration plan to be postponed or canceled, while some senior members of the ruling party have called for the program to be paused.
Under the My Number ID card system launched in 2016, every citizen and foreign resident living in Japan receives a 12-digit number linking various personal data together, such as taxes and social security information.
Around 70 percent of holders -- about 65.34 million people -- have already registered to use their My Number card as their health insurance certificate as of July 23, according to the health ministry.
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