Japan is moving forward with a plan to integrate My Number cards and health insurance cards for increased efficiency. However, concerns over data accuracy and privacy remain unresolved.

The Japanese government’s push for digitalization, spearheaded by Digital Minister Taro Kono, now includes scrapping health insurance cards and incorporating their data into My Number national identification cards by autumn 2024. Currently only half of all citizens have My Number cards, but under this new policy, they will become mandatory for all.