May 25, 2013

Despite public concerns over possible violation of privacy, a bill to issue an ID number to every citizen to integrate their tax payments and social welfare benefits was enacted after being passed through the House of Councilors on May 24.

The ID number system will be introduced in January 2016. While it will be applied first to social security programs, taxation, and anti-disaster measures, the enacted law allows the government to consider expanding the coverage of the system to the private sector within three years of its introduction.

“The bill was enacted with many questions unsolved. The government didn’t give any clear answer to what is the real benefit of the ID number system,” said Inoue Kazuhiko, representing a civic group, at a press conference held in the Diet building on the same day.

Hakuoh University Professor Ishimura Koji, who heads Privacy International Japan (PIJ), said, “At a time when the risk of Internet crimes is growing, it is anachronistic to have each citizen use one rigid number for their lifetime.”

On the same day, the Japanese Medical and Dental Practitioners for Improvement of Medical Care (Hodanren) published a statement in protest against the enacted law, stressing that it “aims at restricting social welfare payments”.

Related past issue:
>ID number bill passed through Lower House (May 10, 2013)