Stop exercising resident registry network system: JCP

Without appropriate measures to prevent information misuse, the government hastily introduced the national resident registry network system on August 5. Tokyo's Suginami Ward and five other local governments, with a total of 4 million residents, refused to log onto the net.

In the press conference held on the same day, Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo stated that the new system must be stopped and reviewed.

Shii pointed out: it is quite natural for many citizens to be anxious over personal information security and illegal use of their personal information; the government has promised that the net system should come under a package law coupled with the personal information protection bill, which was rather aimed at suppressing the freedom of the press, publishing, and broadcasting.

It is unreasonable for the government to unilaterally enforce the resident registry network system, while failing to enact the other package bill, Shii said.

The new net system links items of information concerning every resident, such as their name, address, date of birth and gender, to be controlled by the central government by means of an 11-digit code number for each person. Through the central and local governments, information is available for 93 administrative procedures, including receiving unemployment insurance benefits and payment of pensions without attaching a copy of a resident card.

A citizens group which filed a suit against the network system, headed by Yuge Toru (professor emeritus at University of Tokyo) the same day visited the Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications to demand that the ministry stop operating the new system because the system violates Article 13 of the Constitution which guarantees the protection of privacy. (end)