PDF《Future Outlook for Japan's ID Number System》

718 Hitachi Review Vol.

65 (2016), No.

1 -

20 - Featured Articles Future Outlook for Japan'

s ID Number System Daisuke Miyamoto Shinji Nakamura Misa Hara OVERVIEW: Japan'

s ID number system is a social platform that improves administrative efficiency, provides greater convenience for the public, and establishes a fairer and more just society. Issuing of individual and corporate ID numbers commenced in October 2015, marking the launch not only of support for ID numbers in tax and social security procedures and the associated internal processes of private businesses, but also the use of information by national and local government and new administrative services based around My Portal. This article describes what Hitachi is doing in relation to the ID number system and considers how the scope of application of the system will expand in the future. INTRODUCTION THEsocialsecurityandtaxnumbersystem[identification (ID) number system] is a social platform that improves administrative efficiency, provides greater convenience for the public, and establishes a fairer and more just society. The system was established in Japan by the

2013 Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in the Administrative Procedure (Number Use Act). Its implementation is broadly divided into three stages. Issuing of individual and corporate ID numbers began in October 2015;

use of the individual ID numbers in taxation, social security, and disaster response is to be introduced progressively from January 2016;

and use of information sharing within national and local government to improve the efficiency of administrative procedures and the introduction of convenient online services based on My Portal* are to commence from 2017(1) . In the My Number Subcommittee of the Expert Evaluation Committee for New Strategy of the IT Strategic Headquarters, the Government Chief Information Officer (CIO) plays a central role in investigations into expanding the scope of uses for individual ID numbers from the perspective of encouraging the use of information technology (IT), and debate on the implementation of My Portal with a view toward future public-private collaboration. Work is also proceeding at other government agencies on things like conducting trials and investigating what forms systems should take. With reference to these circumstances, this article describes what Hitachi is doing in relation to the ID number system and considers the various issues associated with how the system will develop in the future. OVERVIEW OF ID NUMBER SYSTEM The ID number system combines individual and corporate ID numbers with mechanisms for verifying identity and for sharing information between different agencies. Mechanisms for Verifying Identity The mechanisms for verifying identity include individual ID number cards and the Public Certification Service for Individuals. Individual ID number cards serve as documentary proof of a person'

s ID number and as a public means of verifying identity. The Public Certification Service for Individuals uses the electronic signature stored in the integrated circuit (IC) chip in each individual ID number card to enable administrative procedures to be conducted online as well as through private-sector online transactions such as Internet banking. This mechanism for verifying identity whether online or offline is part of the social infrastructure for both the public and private sectors. Mechanism for Sharing Information between Different Agencies This mechanism enables national and local government agencies to share information on income, for * My Portal: A portal site open to public access. Its uses include viewing when and where government agencies have handled a person'