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

When mayors of municipalities (including mayors of special wards; the same applies hereinafter) record the residence certificate code on the residence certificate pursuant to the provisions of Article 30-3, paragraph (2) of the Residential Basic Book Act, the respective mayor is to, pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of the following Article, promptly designate the number that was notified by the Agency as the number to become the Individual Number of the person and must notify the person of said Individual Number pursuant to the provisions of Cabinet Orders.

If the mayor of a municipality finds that the Individual Number of a person that is recorded on the basic resident register held by said municipality (including special wards; hereinafter the same applies) is likely to be leaked and used without authorization, the mayor must, pursuant to Cabinet Orders, on the request of the person or ex officio, designate the number, that was notified by the Agency pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (2) of the following Article as being to become as an Individual Number, as the Individual Number of the person in lieu of the prior Individual Number of the person and promptly notify the person of said Individual Number.

When the mayor of a municipality makes notification pursuant to the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, in order enable the person who received said notification to have the Individual Number issued without problems, the mayor is to provide information concerning said issuing procedures and take other necessary measures.

In addition to what is provided for in the preceding three paragraphs, necessary matters pertaining to the notification under paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) are provided for by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

When the mayor of a municipality, pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of the preceding Article, designates an Individual Number, the mayor is to, in advance, notify the agency of the residence certificate code recorded in the residence certificate pertaining to the person to whom said designation is intended to be made and request that the Agency generate the number to become the Individual Number.

When the Agency is requested by the mayor of a municipality to generate a number to become the Individual Number pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, pursuant to Cabinet Orders, the Agency is to use an electronic data processing system that is established pursuant to the provisions of the following paragraph, generate a number that falls under the requirements below, and promptly notify said mayor of the municipality thereof:

it is different from any other Individual Numbers (including prior Individual Numbers as set forth in paragraph (2) of the preceding Article);

it is obtained by converting the residence certificate code of the preceding paragraph; and

it does not follow a pattern by means of which the residence certificate code of the preceding item can be restored.

The Agency is to generate numbers to be treated as Individual Numbers pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph and establish an electronic data processing system in order to manage the generation of said numbers and the notifications to be made to the mayors of the municipalities.

Administrative organs, local governments, incorporated administrative agencies, etc. and other persons handling administrative processes as listed in the left-hand column of each row of the Appended Table (if, pursuant to laws and regulations, there is a person who implements all or part of the processes listed in the right-hand column of the relevant row of said table, or a person specified by order of the competent ministry as a person handling processes specified by order of the competent ministry as processes equivalent to said processes (excluding processes based on the provisions of an individual Act, and limited to processes that conform to the standards specified by Cabinet Order, including that their nature is the same as that of the processes listed in the right-hand column of the relevant row of said table) (referred to as "quasi-statutory work" in this paragraph) (such a person being referred to as a "handler of quasi-statutory work" in Article 19, item (viii)), it includes this person; the same applies in paragraph (4)) may use Individual Numbers to the extent necessary to search and manage Personal Information efficiently in the Specific Personal Information File held by the person with regard to the handling of processes listed in the right-hand column of the relevant row of said table (including quasi-statutory work; the same applies in that item). The same applies to a person to whom all or part of said processes is entrusted.

The heads of local governments and other executive bodies may use Individual Numbers to the extent necessary to search and manage Personal Information efficiently in the Specific Personal Information File held by them with regard to the handling of processes related to welfare, health or medical care and other social security matters; local taxes (meaning the local taxes set forth in Article 1, paragraph (1), item (iv) of the Local Tax Act (Act No. 226 of 1950); the same applies hereinafter); or disaster prevention and other processes that are provided for by Prefectural or Municipal Ordinance. The same applies to a person to whom all or part of said processes is entrusted.

The Minister of Justice may use information provision personal identification codes to the extent necessary to search and manage Personal Information efficiently in the Specific Personal Information File held by the Minister with regard to the handling of processes concerning the provision under Article 19, item (viii) or item (ix) of Family Register Related Information (meaning, out of the information concerning the existence or non-existence of a parent-child relationship or any other status relationship between a person recorded in the duplicate of a family register or of a removed family register (limited to one prepared on magnetic disk (including an object that can reliably record certain matters by a method equivalent thereto) pursuant to the provisions of Article 119 of the Family Register Act; the same applies hereinafter in this paragraph and in Article 45-2, paragraph (1)) (hereinafter referred to as a "person recorded in a family register, etc." in this paragraph) and another person recorded in a family register, etc., information concerning the formation of marriage or any other status relationship, and other information concerning a person recorded in a family register, etc. that can be created by performing computer processing, etc. (meaning computer processing (meaning the input, accumulation, editing, processing, correction, updating, search, erasure or output of information performed by using a computer, or any other processing similar thereto) and other measures accompanying it that are specified by Cabinet Order; the same applies hereinafter) of the information recorded in that duplicate, the information specified by Ministry of Justice Order as information to be provided under Article 19, item (viii) or item (ix), which contains in its content an information provision personal identification code (meaning a code identifying a specific individual that, to the extent necessary to manage the provision of Specific Personal Information for Use under item (viii) or item (ix) of that Article and to search for that Specific Personal Information for Use, is used in place of an Individual Number as set forth in Article 2, paragraph (5), and that is an Individual Number as set forth in paragraph (9) of that Article; the same applies hereinafter); the same applies hereinafter). The same applies to a person to whom all or part of said processes is entrusted.

Pursuant to Article 48 or Article 197, paragraph (1) of the Health Insurance Act (Act No. 70 of 1922); Article 59, paragraph (1), (3) or (4) of the Inheritance Tax Act (Act No. 73 of 1950); Article 27, Article 29, paragraph (3), or Article 98, paragraph (1) of the Employees' Pension Insurance Act (Act No. 115 of 1954); Article 9-4-2, paragraph (2), Article 29-2, paragraph (6) or (7), Article 37-11-3, paragraph (7), Article 37-14, paragraph (41), Article 70-2-2, paragraph (19), or Article 70-2-3, paragraph (16) of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Taxation (Act No. 26 of 1957); Article 74-13-2 or Article 74-13-3 of the Act on General Rules for National Taxes (Act No. 66 of 1962); Articles 225 through 228-3-2 of the Income Tax Act (Act No. 33 of 1965); Article 7 of the Employment Insurance Act (Act No. 116 of 1974); or Article 4, paragraph (1) or Article 4-3, paragraph (1) of the Act on Submission of Statement of Overseas Wire Transfers for Purpose of Securing Proper Domestic Taxation (Act No. 110 of 1997); Article 6, paragraph (1) of the Act on the Management, etc. of Deposit and Savings Accounts through the Use of Individual Numbers Based on the Intent of Depositors and Savers (Act No. 39 of 2021); and other provisions of laws and regulations or Prefectural or Municipal Ordinances, a person who was put in charge of handling processes that require the use of another person's Individual Number, such as the submission of documents containing another person's Individual Number, and that are necessary for handling the processes set forth in paragraph (1) or (2), handled by administrative organs, local governments, incorporated administrative agencies, etc. and other persons implementing administrative processes listed in the left-hand column of each row of the Appended Table or by the chiefs of local governments and other executive bodies, may use Individual Numbers to the extent necessary to implement said processes. The same applies to a person to whom all or part of said processes is entrusted.

If a disaster of extreme severity specified under Article 2, paragraph (1) of the Act on Special Financial Support to Deal with the Designated Disaster of Extreme Severity (Act No. 150 of 1962) occurs and in other cases specified by Cabinet Order equivalent thereto, among the persons who are allowed to use Individual Numbers pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, the persons who are specified in Article 225, paragraph (1), items (i), (ii), and items (iv) through (vi) of the Income Tax Act may, pursuant to Digital Agency Order, use Individual Numbers to the extent necessary for making the payment of money based on a contract that has been concluded in advance.

In addition to what is provided for in the preceding paragraphs, a person who falls under any of the items from item (xiii) to (xvii) of Article 19 of this Act and is provided with Specific Personal Information may use Individual Numbers to the extent necessary to accomplish the purpose of said provision.