Personal Information Exposure of Wrong Person... Outrage Over Errors in Japan's Version of 'Resident ID'

Exposure of Approximately 1.7 Million Other People's Pension Records

In Japan, where the "My Number Card," the Japanese version of the resident registration card, is managed by local governments, registration errors have surged, causing public dissatisfaction to explode.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 11th, there have been approximately 1.7 million cases where My Number Card holders, using the "My Number Portal," entered their own My Number Card but ended up viewing another person's pension records. Additionally, there were 748 cases where bank account information registered under someone else's name was linked to a My Number Card.

A citizen is applying for the Japanese version of the resident registration card, the 'My Number Card,' in Tokyo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The media pointed out that this reveals the limitations of Japan's attempt to transition from an analog to a digital nation.

The reason for these errors was that local government officials incorrectly entered My Number Card information. The name on the My Number Card is written in kanji, but the account holder's name is in katakana, and this was not properly verified. Japanese kanji can be read in multiple ways depending on on'yomi and kun'yomi readings, so thorough verification is necessary.

Concerns are growing over the Japanese government's plan to accelerate digitalization by abolishing health insurance cards and replacing them with the My Number Card.

The media criticized, "Is the government's approach, which seems to force the acquisition of the My Number Card by abolishing the health insurance card that people use without inconvenience, truly the 'human-friendly digitalization' that the government aims for?"

As controversy surrounding the My Number Card grew, Taro Kono, the Digital Minister responsible for issuing the My Number Card, said on the 9th, "I will accept any disciplinary action against me," implying he might take responsibility for the problems and resign.

Japan Sensitive to Personal Information Leaks... Issues Cards After Offering Incentives and Taking Tough Measures

Meanwhile, the My Number Card, a 12-digit personal identification number, began issuance in 2016.

On the 2nd, the Japanese House of Councillors (upper house) passed a law to abolish health insurance cards by next fall and replace them with the My Number Card. Those without a My Number Card must obtain a separate "qualification certificate" to receive health insurance benefits.

This system was created to simplify administrative procedures, allowing people to obtain various administrative documents at convenience stores without having to visit ward offices (kuyakusho) and wait for long periods to apply for administrative documents, replacing the health insurance card.

However, because Japanese people are sensitive about personal information leaks, many were reluctant to obtain the card, resulting in low issuance rates. It was only after the Japanese government offered incentives such as up to 20,000 yen (about 190,000 KRW) in points for issuing the My Number Card in 2021 that two-thirds of the Japanese population applied for the card.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.