12th Inter-Ministerial General Directors' Meeting on digitalization and Related Issues

Outline

Date and time

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 from 14:30 to 15:30

Place

Holding online

Proceedings

1. Opening
2. Proceedings
- (1) Stocktaking and examination of subsidies, etc. for administrative procedures, etc.
- (2) Convenience of Electronic Public Procurement System Introduction of function
- (3) Introduction of gBizPortal's development policies in FY 2026 and utilization cases
- (4) Status of Consideration of DX of Employment-Related Subsidies
- (5) Public and Private Sector Initiatives towards Total Computerization of function Services for Bills, Notes and Checks
- (6) Final income tax return for 2026 and efforts to promote digital invoices
- (7) Others
3) Closing

Data

Minutes, etc.

Present member

Chairman

Kyuichiro SANO (Deputy Director-General, Group of Service for Citizens, Digital Agency)

Constituent

Teiichiro SEKI (Deputy Director-General (assistant to Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Cabinet Secretariat) of the Cabinet Secretariat Administration)
- *Represented by: Bunpei MIKI (Deputy Director-General, Cabinet Secretariat Administration [assisted by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Cabinet Secretariat])
Makiyu Deguchi (Deputy Director-General, Secretariat of Cabinet Secretariat Regional Strategy Headquarters)
- *Substitute Attendance: Sayaka Takashima (Director for Policy Planning, Secretariat of Cabinet Secretariat Future Strategy Headquarters)
Takeshi Noboru Matsuda (Deputy Director-General, Group of Strategy and Organization, Digital Agency)
Shigeru Kitamura (Director, General Affairs Division, General Affairs Office, Commissioner Cabinet Legislation Bureau)
- *Attending on behalf of: Hikaru IGARASHI (Research Fellow, Office of General Affairs, Director-General Cabinet Legislation Bureau
Takashi Sato (National Personnel Authority General Secretariat, cybersecurity and Informatization Deputy Director-General)
Atsushi OGAWA (cybersecurity, Informatization Deputy Director-General, Minister's Secretariat, Cabinet Office)
Masafumi FUJITA (Chief of Secretarial Division, Director-General's Secretariat, The Imperial Household Agency
- *Attending by proxy: Akihiro Watanabe (Director of ICT Promotion Office, Secretarial Division, Director-General's Secretariat, The Imperial Household Agency
Tane Akira Tsuchiya (Chief Deputy Director-General of Director-General's Secretariat of National Police Agency)
- *Attending on behalf of: Akihiro Nakamura (Director of Planning Division, Commissioner General's Secretariat, National Police Agency)
Masunori TSUKADA (Deputy Director-General, Supervisory Director, Japan Fair Trade Commission Secretariat)
- *Substitute Attendance: Tsukasa Suzue (Deputy Director, cybersecurity and Informatization Director, Japan Fair Trade Commission Secretariat)
Takashi Nishinaka (Personal Information Protection Commission Office, Deputy Director-General)
NISHINO Ken (Director of General Affairs and Planning Department, Japan Casino Regulatory Commission
- *Alternate attendance: Kensuke Suzuki (Manager, Planning Division, General Affairs Planning Department, Japan Casino Regulatory Commission Secretariat)
Hideo Hashimoto (Financial Services Agency Bank and Security Supervision Bureau, Deputy Director-General)
Miyuki Shin Otomo (Director, in charge of Digital and Business Reform, Consumer Affairs Agency)
Yudai ONO (Director, General Affairs Division, Director-General's Children and Families Agency
- *Attending by proxy: Shun Takeshi Ichihara (General Affairs Division, Director-General's Secretariat, Children and Families Agency; cybersecurity / Informatization Director for Policy Planning)
TADA Satoshi (Supervisor of Reconstruction Agency Kumon Archives)
- *Substitute Attendance: Tadashi IMAI (Director-General, Director, Deputy Director, Reconstruction Agency)
Ryosai TANAKA (Director, Policy Planning Division, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Secretariat)
- *Attended by: Takanori Imano (Deputy Director, Planning Division, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications's Secretariat)
Hideo NANGEN (cybersecurity and Informatization Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Justice)
Takahiro Hanada (cybersecurity and Informatization Director, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- *Attended by: Masakatsu Murotani (Director, Information Systems Management Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs's Secretariat)
Yujiro FUJISAKI (Deputy Director-General, Commissioner General's Secretariat, National Tax Agency, Ministry of Finance)
Hiroshi Imai (Deputy Director-General, Director of Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Secretariat)
- *Mr. Kengo Shimizu (Chief of Administrative Reform Section, Policy Promotion Office, Policy Planning Division, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Secretariat)
Fumi Okabe (cybersecurity, Informatization Deputy Director-General, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare)
Hiroaki Kojima (cybersecurity and Informatization Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister's Secretariat)
MURAKAMI Takamasa (Director, Administrative Reform Division, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's Secretariat)
Takuya Yamazaki (Director, Business Support Department, Small and Medium Enterprise Agency
- *Attending by proxy: Yuji Suma (General Affairs Division, Director-General's Secretariat, Small and Medium Enterprise
Yasuhiro Nakayama (cybersecurity and Informatization Deputy Director-General, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Land
Koji NARITA (Minister's Secretariat for Ministry of the Environment, cybersecurity and Informatization Deputy Director-General)
- *Attended by: Kengo Akashi (Director, Environmental Information Office, General Affairs Division, Ministry of the Environment's Secretariat)
Shigeaki NAKANO (cybersecurity and Informatization Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Defense)
- *Alternate Attendance: Loran black soybean liqueur Yoshida (in charge of Director cybersecurity and AX in Ministry of Defense Minister's Secretariat)
Yoshihiro Komaki
- *Mr. Hitoshi Koga (Deputy Director, Operations Department, Bank of Japan)

Minute

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in Now that we are on time, we would like to hold the 12th "Liaison Meeting of Ministries and Agencies Concerned about Operators' digitalization, etc." Thank you very much for gathering today despite your busy schedule.

First of all, I am Sano, a Deputy Director-General in Group of Service for Citizens, Digital Agency, and I will serve as the chair today.
This is the 12th meeting of the Task Force since it was held in 2023. The purpose of this Task Force is to work together with the relevant ministries and agencies to accelerate efforts toward digitalization, such as the digitalization of businesses and public procedures. We have deepened our considerations so far. We will continue to promote these efforts together with you.

Today, we will report the results of an inventory of administrative procedures, provide information on the spread of the so-called gBizPortal portal for businesses, and provide information on the efforts of relevant ministries and agencies.
Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to attend this meeting today. In addition, we have had the Supreme Court, the Board of Audit, and Information-Technology Promotion Agency, Japan attend this meeting as observers, just as we did last time. Thank you very much indeed. I look forward to working with you again today.

Now, I would like to get straight to the agenda. First of all, regarding today's agenda, as stated in the agenda that has been sent to you beforehand, there are seven items. In addition, Q & A will be held after all the agenda items, so please ask questions at that time.

Now, let's begin the proceedings. First, regarding agenda item 1, the person in charge will give an explanation. I'm Director Makinose from Digital Agency. Nice to meet you.

Makinose Director: This is Makinose from Digital Agency, . I am pleased to meet you.

First, I would like to explain about Agenda Item 1. This is the inventory survey of administrative procedures. With regard to this survey, with the great cooperation of all the officials in charge from all the ministries and agencies, the number of procedures is more than 76000, and the input rate has reached 100 percent. On August 26, it has been published on the Digital Agency website. Thank you for your cooperation. From the completion of this survey to its publication, the officials in charge cooperated in various ways. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude.
The fiscal year 1996 survey will be conducted next, and I would like to explain the basic policies of the survey today. With regard to the fiscal year 1996 survey, based on the completion of the survey in the previous fiscal year, we would like to implement the survey under three policies.

The first point is that since the inventory of administrative procedures is a statutory investigation, it will be conducted using the dedicated Administrative Procedure Inventory Survey System, or DXS.

The second matter is the subsidy survey. This survey collects and utilizes data from the National Diet Library's WARP. We would like to improve the accuracy of the content. We intend to streamline the input surveys of various ministries and agencies.

The third point, which you mentioned earlier in your opening remarks, is about gBizPortal. This is a portal site for businesses, but to confirm the posting here, we would like to use the DXS separately from the inventory survey of administrative procedures. I would like to ask for the continued understanding and cooperation of the ministries and agencies. Thank you.

Lastly, I would like to explain the schedule of the fiscal year 8 survey. As stated in this schedule, it started in November and will continue until March 2027. Through briefing sessions on this survey and other means, I would like to inform the ministries and agencies in order. I will continue to ask the people in charge to prepare or cooperate, but I would like to ask for their cooperation. This concludes my explanation on Agenda 1.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in . Next, the person in charge will give an explanation about agenda item 2. Director Negi from Digital Agency, thank you.

Director, Negi: Now, Agenda item 2. The convenience of an electronic procurement system. I'd like to introduce function. I'm Negi from Digital Agency. Nice to meet you.

Today, I will show you convenient function about the Procurement Portal (PP for short) and the Electronic Procurement System (GEPS for short), which are in the red frame.

Overview of GEPS and PP The GEPS and PP are systems that can electronically implement the entire process from accepting applications for participation in competition to bidding, contracting, inspection, invoicing, and payment procedures. With digitization, users can reduce the time and cost required for moving to the counter and mailing documents, and there are also advantages such as not having to pay stamp tax by using electronic contracts.

Next, I would like to introduce the main convenient function of GEPS. First, the representative function is electronic bidding and electronic contracts. With electronic bidding, you can submit and receive tenders, proposals, and quotations online. In addition, with electronic contracts, you can use electronic signatures to conclude contracts, eliminating the need for official or corporate seals.

Another convenient function is the open counter (small amount). This is a function released in March of this year, and for small amount projects, even business operators without unified qualifications can easily participate if there is a gBizID, so it is possible for more business operators to participate. In addition, at the download function of past procurement materials, it is possible to search for and view specifications and related materials for past procurement projects, including those of other ministries and agencies. It has been well received by ministries and agencies as a reference material for creating specifications and examining requirements when conducting new procurements in the future.

Next, I will explain about the small-value item purchase business, which is one of the convenient function. Until now, we have been handling approximately 450,000 cases of small-value items of 3 million yen or less per year. However, we have not been able to use GEPS because the procurement of such items is mainly based on estimates and does not assume bidding. Therefore, the digitization of the procedure has become a major issue.

Therefore, since March 2025, we have introduced a mechanism that allows users to search for products listed by private sector in a marketplace format and place orders as they are. In the past, when procuring small-value items such as stationery, desks, and chairs, we used to compare the prices of equivalent products by looking at catalogs. On the other hand, in this small-value procurement business, we are cooperating with five companies (Amazon, ASKUL, Alpha Purchase, Lion Business Machine, and Monotaro) shown in the lower left of the figure as external catalog providers. Furthermore, it is also possible to register local retailers, etc. as internal catalog providers. As a result, it has become possible to easily compare prices and delivery dates on the terminal for a total of over 72 million products and procure them as they are.

The main advantages are that delivery time is significantly shorter than before, and in addition, since it can be purchased at a corporate price, it also has cost advantages. It has been highly evaluated in terms of convenience and price by the ministries and agencies that are actually using it.

That's all from me. I hope you will use the available function step by step.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in . As explained earlier, it is a time-saving and simple way to procure small amounts of goods. I hope that relevant ministries and agencies will use it.
Now, with regard to Agenda Item 3, explanations will be given by the person in charge and Mr. Consumer Affairs Agency. First, with regard to Document 3-1, Mr. Director Makinose of Digital Agency will give an explanation.

Makinose Director: This is Makinose from Digital Agency, . I would like to explain the maintenance policies of gBizPortal, which is the agenda item 3.

GBizPortal is a portal site for businesses that has been created to provide access to information necessary for businesses when conducting administrative procedures or subsidy applications, so that they can seamlessly conduct everything from application preparation to procedure management.

There are three function. The first one is cross-sectional search. This is a function where administrative procedures or subsidy information can be posted at one place. In data of this retrieval function, information of inventory survey of administrative procedures or generative AI is also utilized, which is a feature.

The second one is digital locker, which is a convenient function where you can communicate in one place. To be specific, it is a function where business operators, supporters, or administrative agencies can share documents with each other, or securely exchange documents from application preparation to reception. By logging in at gBizID, you can make a identity verification, which makes it easy to confirm. In addition, you can submit documents at the counter without the trouble of attaching files to emails.

The third one is the Application Journey. This is a website where you can confirm the series of procedures. For example, in the case of starting a business, there are preliminary procedures that the business must complete. The function provides a list of these procedures. By using these three function, we aim to reduce the burden of the procedures for business operators by gBizPortal, or to support the entire application experience.

Next, I would like to talk about the fiscal 2026 development plan for gBizPortal. Regarding this, we would like to further strengthen and expand the three function that I explained earlier. First of all, as for the axis of the development, when a business operator makes an application, the entire experience will be divided into four phases, first search and notice, then prepare and create, the third phase of sharing documents, and the fourth phase of confirming application status. We will look at these four phases and aim to improve convenience in each phase. For example, I would like to introduce the four function outlined in red here.

The first one is the checklist of the procedure journey, function, which was released on September 10. In the conventional procedure journey, the procedures are multiple in various ways, so the amount of information becomes large, or it is difficult for business operators to easily understand, which have been issues. Therefore, in the new function, when you answer several questions, based on your answers, the most appropriate next action is indicated. The function is indicated as a checklist.

The second one is a function for remote signing on the Commercial Registration electronic certificate. This one utilizes APIs to implement a function that allows remote signing on the digital locker. The scheduled release date is September 30. Through this, we hope to reduce the burden on business operators.

The third point is the development of digital locker APIs this time. In the current subsidy application, it is sometimes necessary to submit the same documents for application. In such cases, it takes time and effort for business operators, which is a problem. So, in order to solve these problems, we are developing APIs to connect digital locker and external systems. In the future, we would like to realize a system that allows documents stored in digital locker to be used for multiple applications. Furthermore, from fiscal 2027 onward, we would like to expand the scope of consolidation to systems other than jGrants.

And finally, the fourth one is about progress management of the procedures. In the surveys so far, for example, people have said that they are anxious about what stage they are in now because they do not know the status of the examination. In that sense, we consider it to be an item of very high priority, and this time, in cooperation with jGrants, we are implementing such a gBizPortal so that the status of examination of subsidy applications and notifications can be checked on the function. Through these efforts, we aim to save time and effort for confirmation or reduce the risk of overlooking important notifications. We also intend to further expand the scope of consolidation from fiscal 2027 onward. In the future, with the cooperation of all relevant ministries and agencies, we will strive to expand the function of this gBizPortal to improve the convenience of business operators.

This concludes my presentation on gBizPortal's development policies. Moving on, I would like to ask Director for Policy Planning Nakamura of Consumer Affairs Agency to introduce examples of utilization. Thank you very much.

Director for Policy Planning Nakamura: This is Mr. Nakamura from Consumer Affairs Agency, . Mr. Consumer Affairs Agency will explain the food bank certification system and examples of digital locker's utilization in the certification system.

Next, please. First, I will briefly explain the Food Bank Certification System. From April 1 of this year, Consumer Affairs Agency and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, in cooperation with each other, have launched a certification system for food bank organizations that receive food from food donors and provide food support. This system, in line with the basic policy on promoting the reduction of food loss decided by the Cabinet in March last year, is an initiative decided by the Public-Private Council on Food Donations, which consists of relevant ministries and agencies, food-related businesses, and food bank-related organizations.

In particular, for food bank organizations listed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Consumer Affairs Agency certifies their compliance with health management, etc., to ensure traceability and prevent food poisoning to prevent the diversion of donated goods. Through this system, social trust in food bank organizations will increase, and companies that are donors will be able to engage in food donations with peace of mind. It is expected that this will lead to an increase in food donations.

Next, please. This is a roadmap for the food bank organization to obtain certification. As shown in the slide, it is necessary for you to clear each stage such as system preparation for application, application, written examination, and on-site confirmation.
Food bank organizations apply for certification after they have set up a system to obtain it. Consumer Affairs Agency, which is in charge of the food bank certification secretariat, conducts a documentary examination of the application documents and an on-site verification after receiving the application, and if it is deemed that the application conforms to the matters to be complied with, such as sanitation management and ensuring traceability, it will issue certification. Among the processes shown in the roadmap, we are using digital locker function in gBizPortal to submit application forms and verification documents for documentary examination.

Next, please. This is an explanation of the status of digital locker utilization and its benefits for food bank organizations and the Food Bank Certification Office, respectively. For food bank organizations, when applying for this certification system, after obtaining a gBizID, they will submit application documents and verification documents using the digital locker function. In this certification system, it has been made mandatory for each food bank organization to obtain a function in order to apply using the digital locker gBizID. Since the gBizID can be obtained by voluntary organizations that do not have a corporate number, it is a mechanism that can be easily utilized by food bank organizations of any organizational type.
In addition, when submitting application forms and other documents, restrictions on data storage are milder than those for e-mail, and data can be handled in a high-security environment, making it easy to transfer confidential materials of organizations.

The Consumer Affairs Agency Food Bank Certification Office manages and examines applications and certificates received using digital locker. Certificates received using digital locker are managed by individual digital locker for each food bank organization. When requesting re-submission of certificates during the examination, version control can be completed in a folder that is shared.
In addition, we use Chat function, which is installed in digital locker, to contact organizations that have applied for screening. Using Chat function eliminates the need to manage e-mails for each organization, and it is easy to check past contacts in chronological order.
From this point of view, the administrative burden on both the food bank organization and the certification office is reduced, and it is possible to operate the certification system smoothly. In addition, we believe that one of the advantages is that we did not have to set up a new system and it did not cost anything.

This concludes the introduction of examples from Consumer Affairs Agency.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in .
Mr. Consumer Affairs Agency has certainly made good use of it. The digital locker of gBizPortal has become considerably more convenient, and I hope that he will make good use of it, especially for small-scale and medium-scale administrative procedures.
Next, Mr. Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will give an explanation on agenda item 4. Mr. Deputy Director-General Uno, thank you.

Uno Deputy Director-General: I am Uno from Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, . I would like to explain the status of consideration on agenda item 4, DX of employment-related subsidies.

I would like to explain the status of the DX of employment-related subsidies, which I have explained at the 3rd and 5th meetings. On the first page, we started online applications for employment-related subsidies in fiscal 2023. However, the application items and attached documents are diverse, and even though it is online, the wage ledger, attendance record, etc. are submitted in PDF, which did not sufficiently reduce the burden on business owners and shorten the examination period. For this reason, in order to simplify the application process, improve the efficiency of examination work, and realize speedy payment, in fiscal 2023, in cooperation with Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, we established a team to consider the DX of employment-related subsidies, consisting of the heads of relevant bureaus in Digital Agency. The team was compiled to a certain extent in June 2024. Since fiscal 2025, we have been conducting surveys and research to make digitalization of application items and attached documents.

Please refer to the efforts on page 2. In order to reduce the burden on business owners and employees who conduct examinations by utilizing AI and data linkage technology, in fiscal 2025, we reviewed the work itself as a preliminary step to utilizing data linkage technology. As shown here, for example, we reviewed employee information, which was duplicated in the forms of several application documents, and we partially abolished the notification of plans prior to application. As a result, we reduced the number of application items by approximately 24% compared to the previous year, and the number of attached documents by approximately 18% compared to the previous year.

In addition, in fiscal year 2026, we introduced a function in April 2026 that automatically creates a list of workers eligible for subsidies, including their names, gender, and dates of birth, by utilizing information on workers in the unemployment insurance data submitted to Hello Work. At present, we are considering a mechanism to extract and use only the information necessary for subsidy applications from wage ledger, attendance records, etc., which each company manages with personnel and labor software, in cooperation with private organizations.

Page 3 provides details of the survey and research project. First, in fiscal 2025, as a survey and research project related to employment-related subsidy DX, we identified issues and analyzed factors by conducting questionnaires and interviews with field offices when promoting DX, as well as considering the utilization and implementation of digitalization technology. Based on the issues and factors identified in this survey and research project, as well as available digitalization technology such as AI, as part of further reviewing the work of employment-related subsidies in fiscal 2026, in addition to considering standardizing the wage ledger, etc., which I mentioned earlier, we will review the requirements for payment to facilitate the use of digitalization technology such as AI, consider methods for collecting information necessary to verify the effects of policies aimed at strengthening EBPM, streamline applications and examinations by linking information with other organizations, improve the investigation of illegal receipt of benefits, and improve online application rates. We plan to organize specific measures and consider them in order to realize them.

As shown on page 4, as for the specific schedule, we plan to examine the specific details for the implementation of digitalization based on the survey and research project by the end of this fiscal year, request and procure budgets for system improvement in fiscal 2027, and start system improvement in fiscal 2028 or later.
Page 5 is the budget material for the 2026 research project that I explained earlier.

That's all for the explanation.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in . Companies around us are taking very good initiatives in employment related procedures, so I hope they will proceed with them.
Now, continuing on to agenda item 5, I would like to hear an explanation from Mr. Financial Services Agency. I am Deputy Director-General Hashimoto from Financial Services Agency. Thank you.

Hashimoto Deputy Director-General: This is Hashimoto .
In line with Appendix 5, I would like to explain the public-private sector's efforts to completely computerize the function of bills and checks.

First, please look at page 1 of the handout. Regarding the full digitalization of bills and checks function, the Growth Strategy Action Plan approved by the Cabinet in June 2021 indicated policies to promote initiatives to eliminate the use of promissory notes after five years and to fully digitize checks. In response to this, the financial industry has formulated voluntary action plans and is working on initiatives with a target date of March 31, 2027. For business operators, switching from paper bills and checks to electronic payment services such as money transfers and electronically recorded monetary claims has advantages such as cost reductions, reduced administrative burdens, and reduced risks. Although the current status of efforts is shown in the lower right, the number of bills and checks exchanged has been steadily reduced more than initially expected.

Next, please turn to page 2. Financial institutions have already taken a wide range of measures, such as suspending the issuance of forms for bills and checks. Around September 30 of this year, many financial institutions are planning to take measures such as setting a final deadline for the issuance of bills and checks and suspending the acceptance of bills and other documents issued by other banks.

Page 3, please. This is for the next six months. We will further strengthen our efforts toward the target deadline (the end of March 2027), and financial institutions are actively disseminating information. In addition, Financial Services Agency is requesting that they provide thorough explanations so that there are no obstacles to end users' business activities, or that they develop a system to support a smooth transition.
That's all.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in . I think this is also an extremely important initiative for business operators.
Now, with regard to agenda item 6, Mr. National Tax Agency will give an explanation. Mr. Deputy Director-General Fujisaki from National Tax Agency, please.

Fujisaki Deputy Director-General: This is Fujisaki from National Tax Agency, .
Continuing from last year, I would like to ask for your cooperation in informing all ministries and agencies about our efforts to promote income tax returns and digital invoices. Specific details will be communicated by administrative staff around next month, but today, I would like to introduce its outline.

Please take a look at the second slide. I would like to thank you for your cooperation regarding the request for dissemination that was sent to all ministries and agencies at the end of October last year. We were able to disseminate it to more than 3,200 organizations. Last year, it was 2,900, and two years ago, it was 2,600, so I believe it is steadily increasing.

The next page, please. Today I'm going to ask you to raise awareness of these four points, so let me briefly explain them.

The next page, please. First, regarding the computerization of the year-end adjustment procedures. I believe that computerizing the year-end adjustment procedures will lead to a reduction in the administrative burden on staff and those in charge of payroll, and can also be expected to have significant effects from the perspective of paperless operations and operational efficiency. In National Tax Agency, we are developing software for annual income tax adjustments and other measures to enable wage earners to submit their deduction certificates electronically, so please inform the organizations under your jurisdiction. We would also like to inform the payroll staff of each ministry and agency of the benefits of computerizing the year-end adjustment procedures and how to use them. Regarding this, we will provide information when we send a notice of request for dissemination on a business-related basis.

Please turn to the next page. This is about filing an e-Tax return using My Number Card from home or other locations. If you use the "Tax Return Preparation Corner" when filing a tax return, all you have to do is follow the instructions on the screen and enter the amount, etc., and a tax return will be created, and you can just submit it using e-Tax. Furthermore, for filing a tax return using e-Tax, it is possible to automatically input information from the withholding record of employment income, medical expenses, hometown tax, etc., in cooperation with Mynaportal. In order for these convenient function to be used by as many people as possible, we would appreciate your cooperation in making this known to the public.

Please give me the next page. It is about the special provisions for the deemed submission of the Written report of salary payment. It describes the system that will be applied to the withholding records for 2026, which will be submitted from January next year. It is a system that will reduce the administrative burden on businesses and improve the convenience of employees when filing their final tax returns. We ask for your cooperation in making the submission of income tax returns via eLTAX known.

Please take the next page. It is to disseminate information and publicity for the spread of digital invoices. This year, National Tax Agency has just renewed a special website to promote digitalization for business operators. On this website, there are leaflets explaining the procedure for introducing digital invoices and PR materials such as video describing the merits of the introduction, as well as a list of free consultation services for various problems related to digitalization. I hope you will make effective use of these PR materials in order to make them known.

Next page, please. In relation to the spread of digital invoices, I would like to introduce another point for your reference. This was explained at the meeting in February of this year, but in the 2026 tax system Amendments, measures have been taken that will serve as incentives for the introduction of digital invoices. Following this amendment, a special deduction of 750,000 yen for blue returns has become possible from 2027 returns, by responding to a mechanism in which sole proprietors automatically link digital invoice claim data, etc., to their books. I would also like to ask for the continued cooperation of each ministry and agency in promoting and publicizing digital invoices, motivated by this tax system amendment.

Lastly, with the cooperation of all of you from various ministries, we have seen steady progress in various measures, starting with the filing of tax returns through e-Tax using My Number Card from home and other locations. To further promote the measures, next month we will ask all of you to do so based on the written request for public awareness. I ask that you kindly inform the organizations under your jurisdiction.

That's all for my explanation.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in . I understand that working-level communications will be made later, but I would like to ask the relevant ministries and agencies to make this known.
Also, as was mentioned in the explanatory slides earlier, there are matters being promoted in collaboration with Digital Agency's services. Finally, Digital Agency will introduce the digital certification service and digital invoice.

First of all, Mr. Kamiya, Duty Group Leader of Group of Service for Citizens's Digital Certification Service, would like to say hello.

Kamiya Group Leader: My name is Kamiya. I am in charge of digital certification services in Digital Agency, . I am pleased to meet you.

Let me explain about the Digital Agency service. First, for the latest information, Digital Agency released an app called MynaApp on August 25. This MynaApp has an app called Mynaportal app with a picture of Maina-chan. As Mr. National Tax Agency explained earlier, we have received feedback that e-Tax is very easy to use when filing tax returns at home. I believe many people use Mynaportal to log in to e-Tax, and it was an app mainly used by those users. In addition, Digital Authentication App, which is a late-starter app, was provided by administrative agencies including local governments and people in private sector as an app used for identity verification. These two apps are integrated as MynaApp.

Please look at the next page. I would like to point out two advantages of this MynaApp. On the left, one is the Mynaportal App of Maina-chan, which I mentioned earlier. During the Individual Number Card Point, many people downloaded the app to their smartphones. Therefore, more than 80 million people have already downloaded the app. When providing such an app, one of the hurdles is that the procedure for users to download the app is troublesome. This means that the procedure does not proceed any further. However, since many people have already downloaded the app, there will be no obstacles. That is my first point.

The second point is that until now, both this Mynaportal app and the digital Authentication App required identity verification and login in My Number Card, but with MynaApp, it has become possible to realize My Number Card login and identity verification on smartphones.

Please give me the next page. One more. In order for MynaApp to be used, users must not only download it, but administrative agencies and private sector must incorporate digital certification services into their respective procedures. To this end, an application for use of Digital Agency is necessary. Applications for use have been growing very smoothly. The number on the left, 1,690, is a sharp increase of 840% compared to the same month last year. This number is as of the end of August, and the latest number is now over 2,100. We had set a target of 1,000 applications for use in Digital Agency within this fiscal year, but we have already reached double that number, so we are receiving applications very smoothly.

The next page, please. As for this digital certification service, the main function is identity verification by My Number Card. Using two kinds of electronic certificate stored in My Number Card's IC chips, we provide APIs according to the electronic certificate. After applying for use, if you install the API, you can use it. It has a reputation for being very easy to install.

The next page, please. This is a simple flow. The upper left is the service screen of business operators or administrative agencies, or on the app, if you touch the "Make a identity verification" button or screen, (1) the verification process will start. When our digital verification server receives (2)'s request, MynaApp, as I explained earlier, rises up, uses MynaApp to read electronic certificate information in My Number Card (3), and sends it to the digital verification server. So, the point (4) is, not only simply sending electronic certificate information, but also by contacting the JPKI server of J-LIS to confirm whether this electronic certificate is valid or not, and returning the result in (5). A feature of the digital verification service is that it provides a package that includes reading and confirming the validity of the electronic certificate.

Page 10, please. In terms of what kind of private sector, etc. we have customers in, here are the main ones. On the upper left, it's Mercari. When you lose your ID and password and your account is suspended, you can use this service to restore your account. It's also used by SBI Securities and Monex Securities. Next, in terms of financial institutions, it's MUFG Bank on the right. More than 60% of people opening smart accounts are already using our digital certification service, MynaApp.

The next page, please. Another feature is that this service can be used by both the public and private sectors. People living in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government may think, "Oh, that procedure." The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has released the "Tokyo App," and is running a campaign in which 11000 points are given away when you make a identity verification. At that time, people use our MynaApp and digital certification service.
Other than that, it's Kamishihoro-cho at the bottom left. It's a small municipality of about 5,000 people in Kamishihoro-cho. I explained earlier that it's easy to incorporate APIs. Hokkaido is a municipality with 1 to 2 people. Even with such a system, it was easy to incorporate, and we were able to deliver convenience to the residents. We received words of gratitude from them.

The next page, please. The usage in universities is also expanding, and the University of Tokyo is also using it for account recovery. In addition, the one that has recently become a topic of conversation is the pokemon card on the right. Since only one My Number Card can be held per person, only one account can be created based on the card. As a result, customers who wanted to buy but were unable to do so have commented that they were able to buy it.

Next is about the application for use. The application is simple, and although it varies depending on the circumstances of the business operator who uses it after we apply to Digital Agency, we can provide the actual use environment in about three months.
On the next page, the API is also available for reference.

One last picture. The MynaApp has provided a function for obtaining My Number using a digital certification service. Many business operators and other entities are dealing with the acquisition of My Number in an analog manner such as by mail or copy, and if we use this MynaApp and digital certification service, we will be able to promote digitalization all at once. Moreover, as I have mentioned so far, identity verification and identity verification at the time of providing My Number can also be handled, so it is popular that the acquisition of My Number and identity verification can be handled as a package without burden on users and business operators.

Regarding the digital certification service, MynaApp, please feel free to contact Digital Agency for more detailed information and answers to your questions than what I have explained today. Therefore, I would like to ask the relevant ministries and agencies, business operators under their jurisdiction, and other relevant people in the agency to introduce it.

That is all from me.

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in .
Next, regarding the digital invoice, from Director for Policy Planning Katoh, please proceed.

Director for Policy Planning Katoh: My name is Katoh and I am in charge of Digital Invoice. Nice to meet you.
It's about the digital invoice that Mr. National Tax Agency mentioned earlier. As for Mr. National Tax Agency, thank you very much for your efforts to promote the use of business operators. While we are also doing this, it is very grateful that Mr. National Tax Agency is also cooperating, understanding, and working on it, so I would like to ask for your continued support.

In addition, digital invoices can now be used not only by business operators but also for claims related to government procurement. Earlier in my explanation of GEPS, I mentioned the receipt of digital invoices as a function, so I would like to ask for the understanding and cooperation of the people of each ministry regarding this matter as well.

In terms of how many digital invoices were received in Digital Agency and National Tax Agency in fiscal 2025, in Digital Agency, the figures were 17% on a contract basis and 15% on a number of business operator basis. However, the most recent figure, in fiscal 2026, has already reached 30% to 40%. Therefore, we would like to raise this figure as much as possible.

In addition, in the future, members of my team may ask the Accounting Division of each Ministry and Agency for their cooperation in requesting this digital invoice, along with the supplier business operator, so I would like to ask for your understanding and cooperation.
Thank you,

Deputy Director-General Sano: Thank you very much for your time in .
This digital invoice is still being used by Digital Agency and National Tax Agency and others in the area of government procurement, but some business operators may wish to use the digital invoice, so as I mentioned earlier, it can be done very easily, and I will visit you again for consultation, so I would like to ask you to make use of it.

This concludes the proceedings, but I would like to move on to the final question and answer session. If you have any opinions or questions about the explanation so far, please let us know by pressing the button. We would like to choose one by one. What do you think?
Since there were no questions, I would like to close the Q & A session. If you have any questions or concerns later, please do not hesitate to contact the secretariat by email.

Now, I would like to conclude this meeting. Thank you very much for coming today.