Photo/Illutration Taro Kono, minister for digital transformation, during a Lower House special committee session on July 5 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

An administrative commission started an on-site inspection of the Digital Agency over leakages of personal information due to mix-ups involving the government’s My Number personal identification system.

“A series of problems that has surfaced could make the public nervous,” Hidemi Kataoka, a counselor in charge of policy planning at the Personal Information Protection Commission, told a news conference on July 19. “It is important to ascertain the causes as quickly as possible and take necessary responses.”

Officials from the commission, which is tasked with monitoring and supervising management of personal information, including My Number, entered the building in Tokyo that houses the Digital Agency on the afternoon of July 19, according to the commission’s secretariat.

The commission plans to determine whether there were problems with information management at the agency by analyzing computer records and questioning officials in charge of the My Number system.

It remains unclear how long the probe, which is authorized under the law governing the My Number system, will continue.

The commission decided to conduct the investigation because it believes the Digital Agency is responsible for cases in which bank accounts for receiving public money were mistakenly registered with a different individual’s My Number, among other problems. 

Such mix-ups of personal information occurred when municipal officials helped residents register their information on computers at local government offices.

But Kataoka said the commission needs to start its investigation from the Digital Agency because it is managing the My Number system.

“It is vital to look into the operational setup that allows mistakes to occur as well as organizational factors (of the Digital Agency),” he said.

In other cases, personal information, such as health insurance cards and pensions, was linked to a different individual’s My Number and could be viewed by a third party.

Residence certificates were also mistakenly issued to a third party when they were obtained from machines placed at convenience stores using the My Number Card.

The commission plans to take action regarding companies, organizations and local governments involved in those cases if necessary, sources said.

The commission could eventually issue administrative guidance to the Digital Agency after the on-site inspection is completed.

Taro Kono, who heads the Digital Agency as minister for digital transformation, doubles as minister in charge of the Personal Information Protection Commission.

“We will take appropriate action in response to requests from the Personal Information Protection Commission,” Kono said on July 19, suggesting that the Digital Agency will respect the commission’s independence.

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