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

The Prime Minister, in consultation with the Commission, is to establish the Information Providing Network System and manage it.

The Prime Minister, when requested by a Person Referring Information to provide Specific Personal Information for Use pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (viii) of this Act, must, using the Information Providing Network System, notify the Person Providing Information that there was a request to provide Specific Personal Information for Use, as provided for by Cabinet Orders, except if the Prime Minister finds that there has been a fact of violation of the provisions of Article 28 (excluding paragraphs (3) and (5)) with regard to the Specific Personal Information File held by the Person Referring Information in which said Specific Personal Information for Use is to be recorded or the Specific Personal Information File held by the Person Providing Information in which said Specific Personal Information for Use is recorded.

A Person Referring Information or a Person Providing Information (referred to as a "Person Referring Information, etc." in this Article) may acquire an information provision personal identification code from the Prime Minister.

The acquisition of an information provision personal identification code under the provisions of the preceding paragraph is to be effected, pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Order, by a method in which the Person Referring Information, etc. notifies the Prime Minister of an acquisition number (meaning a number assigned with regard to that acquisition which, by being assigned so as to differ for each specific individual to be identified by that information provision personal identification code, enables that specific individual to be identified, and which is specified by Digital Agency Order as one that is not an Individual Number or a residence certificate code; hereinafter the same applies in this Article) through the Agency (for a Person Providing Information who is the Minister of Justice referred to in Article 9, paragraph (3), through the mayor of the municipality of the individual's registered domicile and the Agency), and the Prime Minister notifies that Person Referring Information, etc. of that information provision personal identification code together with that acquisition number.

A Person Referring Information, etc., the Prime Minister, the Agency and the mayor of the municipality referred to in the preceding paragraph must not retain an acquisition number beyond the scope necessary for achieving the purpose of carrying out the processes pertaining to the acquisition of an information provision personal identification code under the provisions of paragraph (1).

The persons provided for in the preceding paragraph must not themselves use an acquisition number for any purpose other than the purpose provided for in that paragraph.

The provisions of Article 19 (limited to the parts pertaining to item (vi) and items (xiii) through (xvii)) apply mutatis mutandis to the provision of an acquisition number by the persons provided for in paragraph (3). In this case, the phrase "the following" in that Article is deemed to be replaced with "the case of making the notification under the provisions of Article 21-2, paragraph (2) and the following", and the phrase "Article 35, paragraph (1)" in item (xiii) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "Article 35, paragraph (1) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 21-2, paragraph (8)".

A person who has been provided with an acquisition number pursuant to the provisions of Article 19 (limited to the parts pertaining to item (vi) and items (xiii) through (xvii)) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the preceding paragraph (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to the following paragraph) must not retain that acquisition number beyond the scope necessary for achieving the purpose for which it was provided.

The provisions of paragraphs (4) and (5) apply mutatis mutandis to the persons provided for in the preceding paragraph. In this case, the phrase "provided for in that paragraph" in paragraph (4) is deemed to be replaced with "for which it was provided".

The provisions of Chapter VI apply mutatis mutandis to the handling of acquisition numbers. In this case, the phrase "Person in Charge of a Process Using an Individual Number, etc." in Article 33 is deemed to be replaced with "person provided for in Article 21-2, paragraph (3) or (6)", and the phrase "Article 19, item (xv)" in Article 36 is deemed to be replaced with "Article 19, item (xv) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 21-2, paragraph (5) (including as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (7) of that Article)".

If a Person Providing Information, pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (viii) of this Act, is requested to provide Specific Personal Information for Use, and receives a notification regarding said request of provision from the Prime Minister under the provisions of Article 21, paragraph (2), as provided for by Cabinet Orders, the person must provide said Specific Personal Information for Use to the Person Referring Information.

If Specific Personal Information for Use is provided pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, and, pursuant to the provisions of other laws and regulations, the submission of documents with the same information content as said Specific Personal Information for Use is obligatory, it is deemed as though said documents have been submitted.

The Person Referring Information and the Person Providing Information, when requested for or provided with Specific Personal Information for Use pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (viii) of this Act, must record the following information in the computer used by said person that is connected to the Information Providing Network System and keep said record for the period specified by Cabinet Order:

names of the Person Referring Information and Person Providing Information;

date and time of request for provision and, if there was provision, the date and time thereof;

items of the Specific Personal Information for Use; and

in addition to those listed in the preceding three items, information specified by Digital Agency Order.

In addition to the information set forth in preceding paragraph, the Person Referring Information and Person Providing Information, if the fact of said request for provision or provision of Specific Personal Information for Use falls under any of the following items, must record the same in the computer used by said person that is connected with the Information Providing Network System and keep said record for the period specified in the same paragraph:

if it is found that it corresponds to Non-Disclosure Information as set forth in Article 78, paragraph (1) of the Personal Information Protection Act (including as applied by deeming pursuant to the provisions of Article 125, paragraph (2) of the Personal Information Protection Act; the same applies in the following item); or

if it is found that it corresponds to Non-Disclosure Information as set forth in Article 78, paragraph (1) of the Personal Information Protection Act as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 31, paragraph (3) of this Act.

The Prime Minister, if there was a request for or provision of Specific Personal Information for Use pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (viii) of this Act, must record the information set forth in the preceding two paragraphs in the Information Providing Network System and keep said record for the period specified in paragraph (1).

The Prime Minister, the Person Referring Information and the Person Providing Information, with regard to the secrecy regarding the process for information provision, etc. (meaning processes related to requests for provision or provision of Specific Personal Information for Use pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (viii) of this Act; hereinafter the same applies in this Article and the following Article), in order to prevent divulgation and properly control the secrecy, must ensure the safety and reliability of the Information Providing Network System and of the computers used for the process for information provision, etc. by the Person Referring Information and the Person Providing Information, and take other necessary measures.

A person who is engaged or was engaged in providing information, etc. processes or in processes related to the operation of the Information Providing Network System must not leak or steal secrets related to said processes that may have been learned during the course of the operation.

The provisions of Article 21 (excluding paragraph (1)) through the preceding Article apply mutatis mutandis to a request for the provision of Specific Personal Information for Use by a Person Referring Information for Processes under Ordinances and the provision of Specific Personal Information for Use by a Person Providing Information for Processes under Ordinances under the provisions of Article 19, item (ix). In this case, the phrase "must provide said Specific Personal Information for Use to the Person Referring Information" in Article 22, paragraph (1) is deemed to be replaced with "must provide said Specific Personal Information for Use to the Person Referring Information; provided, however, that this does not apply if the chief of a local government or other executive body for which the scope of Specific Personal Information for Use that may be provided under the provisions of Article 19, item (ix) is limited by Prefectural or Municipal Ordinance has notified the Commission to that effect in advance pursuant to the provisions of Rules of the Personal Information Protection Commission, and the Specific Personal Information for Use pertaining to the request for provision is not included in that limited scope of Specific Personal Information for Use"; the phrase "laws and regulations" in paragraph (2) of that Article is deemed to be replaced with "Prefectural or Municipal Ordinances"; the phrase "process for information provision, etc. (meaning processes related to requests for provision or provision of Specific Personal Information for Use pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (viii)" in Article 24 is deemed to be replaced with "process for information provision, etc. for processes under Ordinances (meaning processes related to requests for provision or provision of Specific Personal Information for Use pursuant to the provisions of Article 19, item (ix)", and the phrase "used for the process for information provision, etc." in that Article with "used for the process for information provision, etc. for processes under Ordinances"; and the phrase "process for information provision, etc." in the preceding Article is deemed to be replaced with "process for information provision, etc. for processes under Ordinances".