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

The Agency must establish Rules for the Management of Processes Handled by the Agency regarding the matters specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications concerning the implementation of the processes that the Agency handles pursuant to the provisions of this Act (hereinafter referred to as a "Process Handled by the Agency"), and obtain the authorization of the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications. The same applies when the Agency intends to change them.

If the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications finds that the Rules for the Management of Processes Handled by the Agency authorized pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph have become inappropriate for the proper and reliable implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency, the Minister may order the Agency to change them.

When conducting computer processing, etc. of Specific Personal Information handled in a Process Handled by the Agency and other information specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (referred to as "Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency" in this Article and paragraph (2) of the following Article), the Agency must take necessary measures for the appropriate management of Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency, such as preventing the leakage, loss, or damage of Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency.

The provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis where a person who has been entrusted by the Agency with the computer processing, etc. of Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency (including entrustment over two or more tiers) performs the entrusted services.

An officer or employee of the Agency (including a member of the Committee for the Protection of Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency as set forth in Article 27, paragraph (1) of the Act on the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems (Act No. 29 of 2013)) or a person who formerly held such a position must not divulge any secret learned in connection with a Process Handled by the Agency.

A person who has been entrusted by the Agency with the computer processing, etc. of Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency (including entrustment over two or more tiers), or an officer or employee thereof, or a person who was formerly any of these, must not divulge any secret concerning Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency or any secret concerning the computer processing, etc. of Specific Personal Information, etc. in Processes Handled by the Agency that they have learned in connection with the entrusted services.

The Agency must, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, keep and preserve books stating the matters concerning the Processes Handled by the Agency that are specified by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The Agency must, at least once every year, prepare a report on the status of the implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency, pursuant to the provisions of Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and make it public.

If the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications finds it necessary in order to ensure the proper implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency, the Minister may issue to the Agency orders necessary for supervision concerning the implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency.

If the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications finds it necessary in order to ensure the proper implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency, the Minister may request the Agency to make the necessary reports or submit the necessary materials concerning the status of implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency, or may have the Minister's officials enter the offices of the Agency, ask questions concerning the status of implementation of the Processes Handled by the Agency, or inspect books, documents and other articles.

The provisions of Article 35, paragraphs (2) and (3) apply mutatis mutandis to on-site inspections under the preceding paragraph.

With regard to the implementation of processes related to Individual Number Cards (meaning the processes the Agency handles pursuant to the provisions of Article 16-2, Article 17, paragraph (3), Article 18-2, paragraphs (2), (3), (8) and (10) through (13), and Article 18-5, paragraph (2), and the certification processes provided for in Article 39, paragraph (1) of the Public Personal Authentication Act; the same applies hereinafter in this Article through Article 38-12), the competent minister must establish objectives concerning business operations that the Agency is to achieve over a period of three years or more and five years or less (hereinafter referred to as the "medium-term objectives"), give instructions on them to the Agency, and make them public. The same applies when the competent minister has changed them.

The medium-term objectives are to specifically provide for the following matters:

the period of the medium-term objectives (meaning the period specified by the competent minister within the scope of the period referred to in the preceding paragraph; the same applies in Article 38-11, paragraph (1), items (ii) and (iii));

matters concerning the improvement of the quality of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards;

matters concerning the optimization of business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards; and

other important matters concerning business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards.

When the Agency has received the instructions under paragraph (1) of the preceding Article, it must, based on the medium-term objectives and as provided for by order of the competent ministry, prepare a plan for achieving those medium-term objectives (referred to as the "medium-term plan" in this Article through Article 38-11) and obtain the approval of the competent minister for it. The same applies when the Agency intends to change it.

The medium-term plan is to provide for the following matters:

measures to be taken to achieve the objectives concerning the improvement of the quality of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards;

measures to be taken to achieve the objectives concerning the optimization of business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards; and

other matters concerning business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards that are specified by order of the competent ministry.

If the competent minister finds that a medium-term plan approved pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) has become inappropriate for the proper and reliable implementation of the matters listed in paragraph (2), items (ii) through (iv) of the preceding Article, the competent minister may order the Agency to change that medium-term plan.

When the Agency has obtained the approval under paragraph (1), it must make its medium-term plan public without delay.

Before the start of each business year, the Agency must, based on the medium-term plan approved under paragraph (1) of the preceding Article and as provided for by order of the competent ministry, establish a plan concerning business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards for that business year (referred to as the "annual plan" in paragraph (5) of the following Article), notify the competent minister of it, and make it public. The same applies when the Agency has changed it.

After the end of each business year, the Agency must obtain an evaluation by the competent minister of the matters specified in the following items, according to which of the business years listed in those items that business year falls under:

a business year other than the business years listed in the following item and item (iii): the performance of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards in that business year;

the business year immediately preceding the last business year of the period of the medium-term objectives: the performance of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards in that business year, and the performance of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards over the period of the medium-term objectives as anticipated at the end of the period of the medium-term objectives; and

the last business year of the period of the medium-term objectives: the performance of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards in that business year, and the performance of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards over the period of the medium-term objectives.

When the Agency intends to obtain the evaluation under the preceding paragraph, it must, as provided for by order of the competent ministry, submit to the competent minister, within three months after the end of each business year, a report clarifying the matters specified in item (i), (ii) or (iii) of that paragraph and the results of its own evaluation of those matters, and make the report public.

The evaluation under paragraph (1) must be conducted by assigning an overall rating to the matters specified in item (i), (ii) or (iii) of that paragraph. In such a case, the evaluation of the performance of operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards in that business year provided for in each item of that paragraph must be conducted by investigating and analyzing the status of implementation of the medium-term plan in that business year and taking the results into consideration.

When the competent minister has conducted the evaluation under paragraph (1), the competent minister must notify the Agency of the results of that evaluation and make them public without delay.

The Agency must appropriately reflect the results of the evaluation under paragraph (1) in its medium-term plan and annual plan and in the improvement of business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards, and must make public, each fiscal year, the status of how the evaluation results have been reflected.

If the competent minister finds it necessary based on the results of the evaluation under paragraph (1), the competent minister may order the Agency to take measures necessary for improving business operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards and other necessary measures.

If the president of the Agency has committed an act in violation of the order under the preceding paragraph, the competent minister may order the representatives' meeting of the Agency (meaning the representatives' meeting provided for in Article 8, paragraph (1) of the Act on the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems; the same applies in the following paragraph) to dismiss that president, specifying a time limit.

If the representatives' meeting of the Agency fails to comply with the order under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the competent minister may dismiss the president to whom the order under that paragraph pertains.

The national government may, within the scope of its budget, subsidize the Agency in an amount equivalent to all or part of the amount necessary to fund the operations pertaining to processes related to Individual Number Cards.

The competent minister must consult with the Minister of Finance in the following cases:

when the competent minister intends to establish or change the medium-term objectives pursuant to the provisions of Article 38-8, paragraph (1);

when the competent minister intends to grant the approval under the provisions of Article 38-9, paragraph (1).