Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in Administrative Procedures

The purpose of this Act is to provide special provisions for the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (Act No. 57 of 2003) so that Individual Numbers and other Specific Personal Information is handled safely and appropriately; to provide for matters necessary to enable administrative organs, local governments and other persons handling administrative processes to manage and use this information efficiently and to promptly send and receive information to and from other persons handling administrative processes, through the operation of the information system that has been developed with the capacity to verify and compare if a set of information coming from different fields belongs to the same person and the good use of this capacity to identify individuals and corporations, or other groups, in possession of an Individual Number or corporate number; also, thereby, to optimize administrative operations and to secure more fair benefits and burdens in the administrative field, and to make improvements in the convenience of citizens filing an application, a notification, or other processes, towards said persons or citizens enjoying the convenience of services provided by said persons, such as the reduction of the burden of procedures, the simplification of procedures for identity verification, and other improvements.

①The term "administrative organ" as used in this Act means an administrative organ as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (8) of the Act on the Protection of Personal Information (hereinafter referred to as the "Personal Information Protection Act").

②The term "incorporated administrative agency, etc." as used in this Act means an incorporated administrative agency, etc. as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (9) of the Personal Information Protection Act.

③The term "Personal Information" as used in this Act means Personal Information as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Personal Information Protection Act.

④The term "Personal Information File" as used in this Act means a Personal Information File as set forth in Article 60, paragraph (2) of the Personal Information Protection Act that is held by an Administrative Organ, etc. (meaning an Administrative Organ, etc. as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (11) of the Personal Information Protection Act; the same applies in this paragraph and in Chapter V, Section 2), or a Personal Information database, etc. as set forth in Article 16, paragraph (1) of the Personal Information Protection Act that is held by persons other than Administrative Organs, etc.

⑤The term "Individual Number" as used in this Act means the number that, pursuant to the provisions of Article 7, paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of this Act, was obtained by converting the residence certificate code (meaning the residence certificate code as set forth in Article 7, item (xiii) of the Residential Basic Book Act (Act No. 81 of 1967); the same applies hereinafter), and is designated in order to identify the person pertaining to the residence certificate on which said residence certificate code is recorded.

⑥The term "the person themselves" as used in this Act means the specific individual that is identified by the Individual Number.

⑦The term "Individual Number Card" as used in this Act means the cards on which the information listed below (for a foreign resident (meaning a foreign resident as set forth in Article 30-45 of the Residential Basic Book Act; the same applies in the following paragraph), excluding the information listed in item (ii)) is contained, the photograph of the person themselves is included except if the age of the person themselves on the date of the application under Article 16-2, paragraph (1) is under the age specified by order of the competent ministry, and in which these information and other information specified by order of the competent ministry (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Card Information") are recorded by electronic or magnetic means (meaning electronic form, magnetic form, or any other form that cannot be perceived by human senses; the same applies in Article 18 and Article 18-5, paragraph (2) of this Act), and on which, pursuant to this Act or Orders issued thereunder, measures provided for by order of the competent ministry as necessary for preventing viewing or alteration by persons other than those authorized to view or alter Card Information, have been applied.

⑧The term "Card Substitute Electronic Record" as used in this Act means an electronic or magnetic record integrally composed of an electronic or magnetic record pertaining to the information listed in items (i) through (vi) of the preceding paragraph (for a foreign resident, excluding the information listed in item (ii) of that paragraph) and the photograph of the person themselves (or, for one pertaining to a person who has been issued an Individual Number Card on which the photograph of the person themselves is not included, that information; referred to as "Card Substitute Information" in Article 18-2, paragraph (2)) (an electronic or magnetic record meaning a record created in electronic form, magnetic form, or any other form that cannot be perceived by human senses, which is used in information processing by computers; the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph and in paragraphs (1) and (2) of that Article) and an electronic or magnetic record pertaining to the information specified by order of the competent ministry as necessary for a person who has received the transmission of the electronic or magnetic record to confirm that the electronic or magnetic record is that of the person who transmitted it, to which the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems (hereinafter referred to as "the Agency") has applied an electronic signature (meaning an electronic signature as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Electronic Signatures and Certification Business (Act No. 102 of 2000) that conforms to the standards specified by order of the competent ministry; the same applies in Article 18-2, paragraphs (2) and (3)).

⑨The term "Specific Personal Information" as used in this Act means Personal Information that has the Individual Number (including numbers, marks and information codes other than the residence certificate code, that correspond to the Individual Number, and are used as a substitute for said Individual Number. The same applies hereinafter, excluding Article 7, paragraphs (1) and (2); Article 8; Article 18-5, paragraph (2); and Article 48 of this Act; and Article 3, paragraphs (1) through (3) and paragraph (5) of the Supplementary Provisions) included in its content.

⑩The term "Specific Personal Information File" as used in this Act means the Personal Information File that has the Individual Number included in its content.

⑪The term "Process Using an Individual Number" as used in this Act means a process that administrative organs, local governments, incorporated administrative agencies, etc., and other persons handling administrative processes handle by using Individual Numbers to the extent necessary to search and manage efficiently the Personal Information in the Specific Personal Information File that is being held pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraphs (1) through (3) of this Act.

⑫The term "Process Related to an Individual Number" as used in this Act means a process that is implemented using another person's Individual Number, to the extent necessary, in Processes Using an Individual Number that are performed pursuant to the provisions of Article 9, paragraph (4) of this Act.

⑬The term "Person in Charge of a Process Using an Individual Number" as used in this Act means a person who handles Processes Using Individual Numbers and a person who is entrusted with all or part of Processes Using Individual Numbers.

⑭The term "Person in Charge of a Process Related to an Individual Number" as used in this Act means a person who handles Processes Related to Individual Numbers and a person who is entrusted with all or part of Processes Related to Individual Numbers.

⑮The term "Information Providing Network System" as used in this Act means an electronic data processing system that connects computers used by the head of an administrative organ, etc. (meaning the heads of administrative organs, local government agencies, incorporated administrative agencies, etc., local incorporated administrative agencies (meaning local incorporated administrative agencies as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Local Independent Administrative Agency Act (Act No. 118 of 2003); the same applies hereinafter), the Agency, and Persons Referring Information and Persons Providing Information as set forth in Article 19, item (viii) of this Act and Persons Referring Information for Processes Under Ordinances and Persons Providing Information for Processes Under Ordinances as set forth in item (ix) of that Article; the same applies hereinafter, except in Chapter VII) to one another by telecommunications line, and that are installed and managed by the Prime Minister pursuant to the provisions of Article 21, paragraph (1) of this Act in order to manage the provision of Specific Personal Information for Use under Article 19, item (viii) or item (ix) of this Act by using cryptography or other communication methods through which the content of the information cannot easily be restored.

⑯The term "corporate number" as used in this Act means the number that, pursuant to the provisions of Article 39, paragraph (1) or (2) of this Act, was designated as the number to identify corporations and other groups.

①The Individual Number and Corporation Number, pursuant to the provisions of this Act, must be used in accordance with the following principles:

②Measures concerning the use of Individual Numbers and corporate numbers, must contribute to the improvement of the convenience of citizens through the optimization of administrative operations while giving sufficient consideration to the protection of Personal Information, must promote its use in the social security system, taxation, disaster control measures and other administrative fields, and must be implemented taking into consideration the possibility of using it in fields other than administrative fields that contribute to the improvement of the convenience of citizens.

③Measures concerning the use of Individual Numbers must be taken in light of the fact that an Individual Number Card (including a Card Substitute Electronic Record; the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph) is necessary to achieve the principles listed in paragraph (1), item (i), in order to promote the use of Individual Number Cards as a simple means of identity verification for handling administrative processes and in order to promote the use of Individual Number Cards for handling processes other than administrative processes while ensuring that Card Information will not be collected by wrongful means.

④Measures concerning the use of Individual Numbers must be taken in light of the fact that the Information Providing Network System is necessary for achieving the principles listed in paragraph (1), items (ii) and (iii) while giving sufficient consideration to the protection of Personal Information in order to promote the use of the Information Providing Network System as a means for Administrative Organs or local governments and other persons handling administrative processes to send and receive Specific Personal Information promptly in the social security system, taxation, disaster control measures and other administrative fields, and must be promoted in consideration of the possibility of expanding the use of the Information Providing Network System to information other than Specific Personal Information that said persons send and receive.

①The national government, pursuant to the basic principles specified in the preceding Article (hereinafter referred to as "Basic Principles"), is to take the necessary measures to ensure the proper handling of Specific Personal Information, such as Individual Numbers, and implement measures to promote the use of Individual Numbers and Corporation Numbers.

②The national government is to endeavor to deepen citizens' understanding of the use of Individual Numbers and Corporation Numbers through educational activities, publicity activities and other activities.

Local governments are to, pursuant to the Basic Principles, take measures necessary to ensure the proper handling of Specific Personal Information, such as Individual Numbers, and to autonomously and proactively implement measures related to the use of Individual Numbers and Corporation Numbers according to the characteristics of each region and cooperating with the national government.

Businesses who use Individual Numbers and Corporation Numbers are to, pursuant to the Basic Principles, endeavor to cooperate with measures concerning the use of Individual Numbers and Corporation Numbers that are implemented by the national and local governments.

The Prime Minister is to extend to Persons in Charge of a Process Using an Individual Number the provision of information, advice and other support necessary to keep Specific Personal Information accurate and up to date.