Photo/Illutration A machine for reading data from a My Number Card used for health insurance purposes is set up at Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Aug. 31. (Kazuhiro Fujitani)

Despite public criticism, the government still plans to abolish the current health insurance cards, in principle, by next fall and integrate them into the My Number identification cards, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Dec. 12.

The decision comes after the government believes it can obtain public understanding following most inspections being completed in the wake of a series of technical glitches.

“Considering the progress made to dispel public concerns, issuing the current health insurance cards will be terminated next fall as scheduled, and the cards will transition to a system based on the My Number card with health insurance information,” Kishida said at the meeting of the government’s My Number information inspection headquarters.

Criticism escalated over the summer following reports of improper linking of the My Number Card with health insurance information, which led to some individuals accessing the medical information of strangers.

In response, Kishida temporarily suspended the plan to eliminate the health insurance cards, reiterating that restoring trust in the system was a prerequisite for eliminating them.

After a series of errors since the spring, the government set up the inspection headquarters in June.

Officials have found 8,351 errors after completing most of the checks on the 82 million data linked to the My Number system, including health insurance information and accounts for receiving public funds.

When combined with an additional 7,556 errors discovered separately, the number of incorrectly registered data cases totaled 15,907.

To prevent recurrences, the government has taken measures including making system modifications and revising ministerial ordinances. It is also progressing with the digitalization of procedures to reduce manual input errors.

After the abolition of the current health insurance cards, people will need to present their My Number cards that have already been registered as a health insurance card when visiting medical institutions.

Those who do not possess My Number cards or who have not completed the registration will receive a “certificate of qualification verification,” which can substitute for a health insurance card.

The certificate will be valid for up to five years.

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