The government was compelled to carry out a “general inspection” of the My Number personal identification system it has been vigorously promoting following a stream of reports about errors in the registration of personal information. 

Instead of trying to impose the onus to fix the problems on local governments and related organizations, the Kishida administration should identify the shortcomings of this policy initiative and rethink its single-minded approach to expanding the user base of the system.

The government set up its “headquarters” for the general inspection of the system within the Digital Agency. The task force will check to confirm the accuracy of information linked to the ID numbers of My Number Card holders that can be accessed at a special website for users.

As a first step, the team will ask local governments and organizations managing the public pension and health care programs to report on how they processed applications and managed information. This shows that the Kishida administration left the operation of the system entirely to these organizations and failed to ensure that the rules for checking information are strictly followed.

That errors occurred during the process of fact checking huge amounts of information was highly predictable. The administration neglected to take basic steps for keeping on top of the situation and preventing problems from damaging the interests of users and causing general anxiety. This failure only increased the burden to be borne by front-line workers and organizations. The ministries and agencies involved are wholly responsible for the mess.

At a news conference to announced the inspection, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged his government will tackle the challenge through “cross-section efforts to be made in a crisis management mode comparable to its emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

It is easy to make such a pledge, but the question is whether the people and organizations involved can afford to shoulder the additional work load.

Some administration officials have pointed out structural problems with the Digital Agency’s organization related to information sharing. Unless these problems are eliminated, there could be more cases of information failures concerning the My Number system.

At the heart of the My Number fiasco is the administration’s headlong rush toward expanding the use of the system in all aspects of daily life. In particular, its use of the carrot-and-stick approach for rapid popularization of the card system, through generous reward point campaigns and the threat to abolish the current health insurance card system, fueled public doubt and anxiety about the initiative.

The headquarters for the general inspection are commanded by digital transformation minister Taro Kono, who has decided to scrap the health insurance card system in autumn 2024. He will not be able to regain the public’s trust without some serious soul-searching over his approach to the mission.

As for the plan to abolish the health insurance card, Kishida pledged to go ahead with it as scheduled. However, he cautioned that implementation will depend on whether public anxiety is eliminated.

Many people in the health and nursing care sectors have voiced concerns about this plan. Unlike errors during the data-inputting process, this is a more complicated challenge with broader implications that cannot be overcome simply through the general inspection. The government should step back from forging ahead with the plan under its current timeframe.

The government’s priority policy program for realizing a digital society, which the Cabinet recently endorsed, is awash with calls for promoting the My Number system. The document includes a section dedicated to the proposal to develop the system into a “citizen card” program that can also used in education. But no convincing explanations about the necessity and benefits of this idea are offered.

Asahi Shimbun editorials have recognized that the My Number system contributes to improving the efficiency of administrative work but also have called on the government to reconsider its plan to rapidly and carelessly expand the scope of its usage and promote the acquisition of the card with strong incentives. The editorials have warned that such a forceful approach would cause a backlash from the public.

The government should not forget that it is crucial to start by creating an environment where everyone can recognize the convenience of the system and feel safe about using it.

--The Asahi Shimbun, June 26