Japan’s government will introduce the digital national ID card ‘My Number’ to iPhones next spring. Japanese residents will be able to use their iPhones in place of the physical national identification card using ‘My Number’. This announcement comes after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook confirmed the new system during a teleconference on Thursday.
‘My Number’ allows Japanese residents to use their smartphones instead of their physical national identification cards when interacting with public service providers like municipal or tax offices. During a December 2022 meeting, Kishida asked Apple’s CEO for access to the ‘My Number’ card for iPhones, government sources said.
Japan first launched the ‘My Number’Â ID card system in 2016. The digital ID is a 12-digit number that each resident of Japan holds. This number allows the government to centralize residents’ personal data such as tax and social security information under one identity.
Japan’s government says the ‘My Number’ ID cards make administrative applications easier for holders. For example, it allows them to obtain official documents at convenience stores or apply for childcare benefits online.
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The government also plans to remove the current health insurance certificates and integrate them with ‘My Number’ cards in December. Therefore, everyone in Japan would be required to obtain the cards because the country’s health insurance system covers all residents. Moreover, Japan aims to include driving licenses into the system by March 2025.
By the end of April, almost 74 percent of Japan’s population had applied for their ‘My Number’ card, the government stated.
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