FAQ: About My Number System
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- Q & A will be added as needed.
- At the end of each answer, it is written as (answer in X, 20 xx). There is one before August 2021, but this was answered on the Digital Agency website before Cabinet Office was established.
Q1-1 What is My Number (Individual Number)?
A1-1
My Number is a single 12-digit number for each person who has a resident record. It can be used for administrative procedures stipulated by laws and regulations or ordinance, such as social security system, tax system, and disaster response. By introducing a cross-sectoral number, it will be possible to reliably and quickly identify and confirm the personal information of the same person through the exchange of information between institutions, thereby improving the convenience of citizens, improving the efficiency of administration, and realizing a fair and just society.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-2 What has changed before and after the introduction of My Number System?
A1-2
Prior to the introduction of My Number System, for example, information had to be exchanged between national administrative agencies and local governments in order to confirm whether or not a person was eligible for a social welfare service or a reduction or exemption of social insurance premiums. However, since individual information is managed by each number such as resident register code, basic pension number, and health insurance number within each institution, time and effort had been spent on identifying individuals by name, address, etc. when information was exchanged between institutions.
By introducing a common, cross-sectoral ID number for administrative procedures stipulated by laws and regulations or ordinance, such as social security system, tax system, and disaster response, it will be possible to identify individuals reliably and quickly. This will improve convenience for the people, increase administrative efficiency, and realize a fair and just society.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-3 What are the specific benefits of introducing My Number System?
A1-3
There are mainly 3 advantages of My Number.
The first is to make administration more efficient so that people and financial resources can be directed to the service of the people.
The second is to improve the convenience of citizens by reducing the number of attached documents in administrative procedures related to social security, tax, etc. and by providing a notification service through Mynaportal.
The third is to design a detailed social security system and realize a fair and just society by grasping income more accurately than in the past.
In addition, My Number Card and Mynaportal can be used without the My Number system itself, and will be used to the fullest extent as an important foundation of the digital society, including in the private sector.
(Updated December 2022)
Q1-4 In what situations is the My Number used?
A1-4
Laws and regulations and ordinance have decided who can use their My Number and in what situations. To be specific, national administrative agencies and local governments will use it for administrative procedures stipulated by laws and regulations or ordinance, such as social security system, tax system, and disaster response. Citizens are required to enter their My Number on application forms for pension, employment insurance, and medical insurance procedures, public assistance, child allowance and other welfare benefits, and tax procedures such as final tax returns.
In addition, the employer of the employee or a financial institution may carry out the procedures for tax and social insurance on behalf of the individual, and the My Number may be presented to the financial institution with which the employee has certain transactions, in addition to the employer.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-5 In My Number System, will even deposits and savings and assets be seen by administrative officials?
A1-5
In order for administrative agencies to check the balance of personal accounts, it is limited to cases where necessary investigations (such as social security fund investigations and tax investigations) are conducted based on laws and regulations. Therefore, the introduction of My Number System does not mean that administrative officials will be able to see deposits and savings and assets anew.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-6 Is it true that the company will find out about your side business in My Number System?
A1-6
My Number System does not change the procedures related to local taxes, and it does not newly reveal the fact that My Number System is conducting a secondary business.
Even before the introduction of My Number System, the amount of inhabitant tax, etc. was notified to the taxpayer via the salary payer by a notice of determination of the amount of special collection, and since the total amount of salary revenue for the previous year is stated in this notice, we believe that there was a possibility that the fact of engaging in a second job would be revealed by comparing the amount of salary paid by the employer.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-7 Can I provide my My Number to anyone?
A1-7
As a general rule, it is restricted to provide My Number to administrative agencies, etc. for procedures stipulated by laws and regulations or ordinance, such as social security system, tax system, and disaster response. Tax offices, local governments, Hello Work (public employment security offices), pension offices, health insurance associations, employers, financial institutions, and others can provide My Number for these procedures.
Even if your My Number is seen by another person or leaked, you cannot complete the procedure with your My Number alone, so you cannot retrieve the information or abuse it immediately. However, please refrain from disclosing your My Number on your personal blog, SNS, etc., as it may be a "provision" of your My Number to a third party and may be a violation of the law.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-8 What should I be aware of when handling my My Number?
A1-8
Please refrain from providing your My Number to a third party without reason.
In procedures such as notification and use of My Number and issuance of My Number Card, administrative agencies will never ask for account numbers, account PIN numbers, income information, family composition, pension and insurance information, or request money or cash cards. We will never ask you to use bank ATMs. Please be careful never to respond to phone calls, letters, e-mails, or visits with this content.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-9 Does the use of My Number eliminate the need for all attachments such as copies of resident records and taxation certificates?
A1-9
In November 2017, local governments and other organizations began full-scale operation of information linkage, making it possible to omit documents such as copies of residence certificates that had to be submitted in the past in administrative procedures stipulated by laws and regulations or ordinance, including social security system, tax system, and disaster response.
(Updated June 2023)
Q1-10 What are "Person in Charge of Affairs Using the Individual Number" and "Person in Charge of Affairs Related to the Individual Number" stipulated in the My Number Act?
A1-10
"Person in charge of clerical work using Individual Numbers" refers to national administrative agencies, local governments, independent administrative agencies, etc. that handle administrative work specified in Appended Table 1 of the My Number Act and ordinance using My Numbers. In addition, "Person in charge of clerical work related to Individual Numbers" refers to a person who submits a document containing My Numbers to the Person in charge of clerical work using Individual Numbers based on laws and regulations or ordinance.
For example, in tax matters, the Commissioner of National Tax Agency (Tax Office), prefectural governors, or mayor of municipality (in charge of tax) will be the Person in Charge of Affairs Using the Individual Numbers, and private sector, etc., who submits withholding records and payment records, etc., in which the My Number is entered, to these organizations, will be the Person in Charge of Affairs Using the Individual Numbers.
(Answer in June 2014)
Q1-11 Will the scope of use of My Number be expanded in the future without going through the laws and regulations Amendment?
A1-11
In June 2023, the Act to Partially Amend the My Number Act was established with the aim of promoting the use of My Number for administrative affairs outside social security system, tax system, and disaster response, as well as enabling the use of My Number for "equivalent affairs" that are permitted by law to use My Number.
Even after the enforcement of the revised law, in order to use My Number for "administrative work based on the provisions of individual laws," it will be necessary to add administrative work through the revision of the law as before.
The purpose of "equivalent administrative work" is, for example, to eliminate the situation in which the use of My Number is not permitted for administrative work that is the same from the perspective of residents because it includes "administrative work not based on an individual law," and to improve the convenience of citizens and the efficiency of administration.
The criteria that the nature of administrative work is the same as administrative work for which the use of My Number is permitted by law and that it is limited to "administrative work not based on a specific law" are both stipulated by law and cannot be expanded beyond them at the discretion of the national government.
In addition, the content of "equivalent administrative work" will be stipulated by the ordinance of the competent ministry. Public comment is required for its revision.
If information about you is shared using the Information Providing Network System, you can check the records and the shared information at Mynaportal.
(Answer in June 2023)
Q1-12 What kind of corporation is Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems?
A1-12
Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems (J-LIS: Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems) was established on April 1, 2014 as an organization jointly operated by local governments. J-LIS carries out administrative work related to My Number, Basic Residential Registers Network System, etc., as well as administrative work related to local governments' information systems.
In relation to the My Number system, in addition to playing the core roles of generating numbers that will be the basis of the My Number system and notifying municipalities, the system is entrusted by municipalities to send notifications of individual numbers and create My Number Card.
(Updated May 2020)