Japan to scrap current non-digital health insurance cards in 2024

I got my card recently.

now how do I get the 20,000 shopping points?

Fxgai-I got mine recently as well, they explained exactly how to get the ‘points’ and supplied a leaflet with it explaining everything again. It wasn’t hard….

I got my card recently.

now how do I get the 20,000 shopping points?

You can register for it using the PayPay app.

This is a disaster in the making.

I'm a tech guy and I support more modernization, but some documents are better left physical. They need to improve the technology/infrastructure rather than drastically overhauling everything.

Big Brother coming in strong. They want to monitor everything about you in one fell swoop. No thanks.

Digital Health Servers will crash in 3, 2, 1,

You'd think that with My Number everything would work so the left hand finally knows what the right hand is doing, right? Eccept they still managed to make a mess of my taxes and double charged me even though I went in an paid. Then I got a huge amount back as well. So doesn't seem the My Number card makes a difference.

“As part of efforts to push the country's digitalization, the government aims to have almost all citizens obtain My Number cards by March 2023.”

Going to need a whole lot of guts pose posters between now and then to hit that target.

@YeahRight

Big Brother coming in strong. They want to monitor everything about you in one fell swoop. No thanks.

It depends who 'they' are. If they are good people who practice servant leadership and genuinely act in the best interests of the community then great. Unfortunately that's usually not the case.

scrap in principle

in principle:

as a general idea or plan, although the details are not yet established or clear.

used to indicate that although something is theoretically possible, it may not actually happen.

so, that's a definite maybe then....

I wish them all the success they achieved with MyNumber. （＾＿－）

Android, yes, iPhones, no?

How about Sega Megadrive?

Yes, great plan. Let's all share our banking details, insurances, driver's license, taxes, employment, passport details and much more under one umbrella. At the same time, let's also encourage the people to share the same number with commercial companies so they can discount coupons or some points. What could go wrong here?

One you do that you basically encourage all cyber criminals to hack into the system because one number gives you access to a person's life. And we all know how good Japan is at cyber security

I might be more enthusiastic if I didn't have to keep renewing the nm card, which requires going to city hall, wait in line, filling out forms and then waiting a month for the post office to deliver it, aka "Japanese digitalization."

The paper system is more convenient.

fxgai

I got my card recently.

> now how do I get the 20,000 shopping points?

You need to go to a store and register your points card with them. Like the one, you use for shopping. Ask at the service counter. That's what I did last year.

MU cards only need renewing every five years which I did recently. They are issued on the spot. You need a need photo.

Don’t have one and don’t want one either.

While this was probably inevitable, the government folks who came up with this should be slapped upside the head with a cast iron fry pan, for lying to the public about the purpose of the "My Number" when it was first proposed.

It was "supposed" to be (rolling eyes sarcasm) for tax purposes only.

Soon are going to be gone the days here that Japanese people truly had more liberty and freedom than other "democracies" From now on, no matter where you go, or what you do, your "data" will follow you all over this country and beyond!

Truly a sad time for Japanese, and most probably dont even realize it!

When you visit a hospital all your records are digital. It helps. When I was having cancer treatment I needed to go to four hospitals and each time my records were transferred and ready when I arrived. That didn't happen with paper records.

Digital is better at this time and age, it will be more convenient for the people of Japan.

When you visit a hospital all your records are digital. It helps. When I was having cancer treatment I needed to go to four hospitals and each time my records were transferred and ready when I arrived. That didn't happen with paper records.

However, while it MAY be convenient for you, hospitals should NOT have the right to determine whether or not to transfer, or forward that information to ANYONE, without the patients express written consent.

I dont want some hospital that I just went to the first time, knowing that I had treatment for something 20 years ago, that has nothing to do with, or pertaining to, the reason I may be there this time.

No, ifs, ands, nor buts, there should be NO sharing of information without the consent of the patient, or in emergency cases, next of kin or authorized guardian.

(Oh I personally carried my paper-records, MRI data, and other digitalized data, on my own, when I went to another hospital for a consult I needed at the time. I do NOT trust hospitals, nor government entities here, to protect my privacy! Also dont forget, there are many "government" run hospitals and other entities within the government WILL have access to your personal health data as well, whether you like it or not!)

Hence the 100% need for consent authorization!

Digitalization sounds nice, but I hope we’re not crossing the threshold into the Orwellian world of Big Brother watching every move of every citizen.

Mixed feelings about this. Just hope we don't end up with a WeChat and have our every move monitored by the government.

The residence card will also be integrated.

But what will happen if we loose the my number card ?

The Residents Card will never be part of the My Number card. My Number is from the local government office. The Residents Card which only applies to non-Japanese is issued by the Tokyo Immigration Office.

What happens if you lose any card, you get a replacement.

JeffLeeToday  05:16 pm JST

I might be more enthusiastic if I didn't have to keep renewing the nm card, which requires going to city hall, wait in line, filling out forms and then waiting a month for the post office to deliver it,

wallaceToday  05:34 pm JST

MU cards only need renewing every five years which I did recently. They are issued on the spot. You need a need photo.

Are you guys both talking about the same thing, the MN (My Number) card? Doesn't sound as if you are.

Might as well skip all these processes and fast forward to implanting the chip under your skin.

Yubaru

  When you visit a hospital all your records are digital. It helps. When I was having cancer treatment I needed to go to four hospitals and each time my records were transferred and ready when I arrived. That didn't happen with paper records.

> However, while it MAY be convenient for you, hospitals should NOT have the right to determine whether or not to transfer, or forward that information to ANYONE, without the patients express written consent.

They didn't. They asked me first and then gave me a letter. My treatment involved many MRI including full body scans. I only had to pay once then they were transferred to my records.

I dont want some hospital that I just went to the first time, knowing that I had treatment for something 20 years ago, that has nothing to do with, or pertaining to, the reason I may be there this time.

Are you medically qualified to say something you suffered 20 years ago is not connected with a current problem? Sometimes doctors need to know your life history sometimes.

20 years ago the records were still analog.

Every hospital you ever visited has a record of you even from 20 years ago. They need records for payments and in case there are court cases.

@wallace

The Residents Card will never be part of the My Number card. My Number is from the local government office. The Residents Card which only applies to non-Japanese is issued by the Tokyo Immigration Office.

Why would they not be connected if we are required to submit our passport numbers? The main reason to have the my number system to stop people from "illegally" not paying taxes, health insurance, and pension. People who get paid in cash like "overstaying" foreigners and cash-based businesses can avoid paying taxes easier than people whose finances are digital. The local government has foreigner's residence status, but they are not authorized to enforce immigration laws.

Why would they not try to add that information to the MyNumber system?

I have a Japanese drive license which is a legal form of identification in Japan, but when I am stopped by the police. They refuse to take my driver's license and asks for my gaijin card. They will integrate the driver's license to MyNumber in 2025 (already announced).

I am against the MyNumber card because it will then be required to open up any future bank accounts.

What about babies or people with memory issues?

It also means that companies will need to pay to upgrade their equipment.

No doubt this will be linked to the social credit system and CBDC already in the works across the globe.

Much easier to control and manipulate people when you have all this information at a central point, once the CBDC kicks in they will be able to turn of your money and ability to do anything... I notice they don't mention the option to opt out of the system.

@Harry Gatto, Wallace

Are you guys both talking about the same thing?

I don't know what an MU card is, which Wallace mentions. All I know is that I need to renew my My Number card (MN card) every three years, which I have refused to do, given the time-consuming hassle. I applied for and received my first MN card a few months before it had to be renewed. Unbelievable.

The one in my wallet now is expired and I don't care anymore.

If the government wants people to use it, they need to make it convenient for the users, rather than for themselves. There will need to be a massive incentive for me to drag my rear-end to city hall once again, wait in a queue and fill out documents that ask me to provide information they already have on their records. Gotta love the "digitalization" revolution. LOL.

Numan

@wallace

   The Residents Card will never be part of the My Number card. My Number is from the local government office. The Residents Card which only applies to non-Japanese is issued by the Tokyo Immigration Office.

> Why would they not be connected if we are required to submit our passport numbers? The main reason to have the my number system to stop people from "illegally" not paying taxes, health insurance, and pension. People who get paid in cash like "overstaying" foreigners and cash-based businesses can avoid paying taxes easier than people whose finances are digital. The local government has foreigner's residence status, but they are not authorized to enforce immigration laws.

I was not required to submit my passport number for MY Card. Only the police and immigration officers had the authority to request to see a Residents Card and if necessary detain that person. The local authority only has the details of a Residents Card.

The Resident Card is on the Tokyo central computer. My Number is the local authority.

Why would they not try to add that information to the MyNumber system?

Because My Number is for all residents including Japanese.

I have a Japanese drive license which is a legal form of identification in Japan, but when I am stopped by the police. They refuse to take my driver's license and asks for my gaijin card. They will integrate the driver's license to MyNumber in 2025 (already announced).

If they stop you for a driving offense they can only ask for your driver's license. That might be so but having the My Number Card is not mandatory.

I am against the MyNumber card because it will then be required to open up any future bank accounts.

It is already required to open new bank accounts. Your bank must have also contacted you to fill out a form that you use your account for required by the money laundering laws.

What about babies or people with memory issues?

Don't know how to answer. Only adults require My Number

It also means that companies will need to pay to upgrade their equipment.

JeffLee

The renewal period for My Number card is every five years. I have just renewed my second card. I visited my local authority office with my old card, filled out a form, and attached the photo. Waited 20 minutes and I was out of there.

The date of the renewal is on the card. The next time for me is 2027. The date is also your birthday.

MU was a typo!

My Number Card.

If there were competent individuals running things in Japan, yes. This might be a good idea. Maybe.

But with the GENIUSES running the country, this is an absolute disaster in the making.........

JeffLee

My Number Card is valid for 10 years even if you do not renew it after 5 years. But without renewal, you cannot use it for some stuff like documents from ATMs.

○ Validation period for Individual Number Card (My Number Card) is 10 years (5 years for persons under 20 years of age) and 5 years for the electronic certificate stored in the card. ※The card shall be valid for 5 years for those under 20 years of age who applied for the card by March 31, 2022.

https://www.kojinbango-card.go.jp/en/

This seems to work in theory, but until they make getting a MN card as easy as getting a health insurance card (basically show up having paid the bills they send you every year and have a registered address, two legal requirements anyway) what is actually going to happen is that in two years, about 30-40% of the population just won't have a health insurance card.

I got my 20,000 points last week. Very welcome!

given the time-consuming hassle

It takes less than 20 minutes at your city/town hall. What on earth are you complaining about?

Yubaru

Today 05:58 pm JST

I have been hospitalized multiple times since last November when I had a life threatening coronary situation.

It is an hereditary condition a ticking timebomb and at the time I wished all my records were digital and available.

I was rushed in by ambulance, alone in extreme distress and pain trying to tell the doctor about the hereditary problem as well as a lung issue due to a previous disease 30 years ago.

All this delayed my emergency surgery, I was unable to explain a back injury as I lost consciousness before I could.

So after the surgery I was put in the standard position of post surgery.

This was the most painful position I could have been put in.

Only after my family GP and my wife found out and explained the situation was I placed in a proper position.

Covid precautions meant that pre surgery post surgery and most of my hospitalization no family could visit me and see my situation.

So having instant universal access via a sign in with IC chip card would have made things far simpler.

Also multiple doctors for different things means they will have instant access to your meds and lessen the chance of prescribing another medication that may react with something you may already be taking.

People may find themselves in a situation where they cannot tell the medical personnel about their medical history,

A simple card and joint data base will fix that and also give people the flexibility to change doctors any time they feel the need.

Tech. Lovely when it works.

UK hospitals fall back on pen and paper after Oracle Cerner outage. https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/12/oracle_cerner_outage_uk/

OK, so integration seems like a great idea, however.... I hope access to Medical expenditure or Heavens forbid, actual Medical data, is not going to be possible to either Employers or anywhere else where this "My Number" card is used. Can you imagine a bank accessing your medical records, and because you had an illness in the past, refuses you a loan, mortgage etc. ?

So, your records are on mobile phone?

And we all have phones?

No, we don’t…

blue

"My Card" is validated until 2032 and my Residents Card is validated until 2029.

I now live quite far from the nearest immigration office, which involves a limited bus, a train, and a taxi. The time to travel is longer than the time in the immigration office.

If they combine those cards and I can renew them at my local office which is a 20-minute walk I would happily agree.

My Japanese spouse did not have any ID which is required at times. She does not drive so the My Number card is now what she uses.

The first My Number cards were first issued in 2012. If they have not been renewed they are no longer valid.

@Wallace

Your comments prompted me to look at my Individual Number Card. The expiry date is the middle of last year. A ward office clerk confirmed this to me.

How can that be possible? If the cards are renewed every 5 years? I only held the card for a few months. I recall the clerk said foreigners are different. Their cards expire with their Residents' Card. In my case, the Individual Number card expiry date is about three weeks earlier than the Residents' Card expiry date. My visa is renewed every three years.

What a confusing mess. This really appears to be a poorly designed program, and not worth the hassle.

JeffLee

@Wallace

Your comments prompted me to look at my Individual Number Card. The expiry date is the middle of last year. A ward office clerk confirmed this to me.

Your first My Card was issued in 2016 then.

How can that be possible? If the cards are renewed every 5 years?

My Card is valid for 10 years but the electronic info it contains is only valid for 5 years.

Your card is valid until 2026 but you cannot use it in an ATM.

I only held the card for a few months. I recall the clerk said foreigners are different. Their cards expire with their Residents' Card. In my case, the Individual Number card expiry date is about three weeks earlier than the Residents' Card expiry date. My visa is renewed every three years.

Sorry I have been a PR for a long time.

My next My Card renewal date for 5 years is 2027, and 10 years in 2032. My Resident Card renewal is in 2029.

What a confusing mess. This really appears to be a poorly designed program, and not worth the hassle.

Never personally experienced a problem.

What could possibly go wrong?

"People can already use their My Number card as a health insurance card. With their consent, medical institutions can access the system to collect information on past prescribed drugs and health checkups designated to prevent lifestyle diseases."

Did they tell you it costs more money when you go to medical institutions or to get prescriptions if you use the MyNumber card? Nope? Did they tell you that for the elderly you have to give the MyNumber info to staff at elderly care facilities, which means they will have all the access to your bank and pension info as well when it's all integrated? No?

Konno didn’t get to be prime minister so he is looking to screw the Japanese people in a different way. Disaster waiting to happen. Putting things under one roof. Will people never learn.

blue

@wallace

   The first My Number cards were first issued in 2012. If they have not been renewed they are no longer valid.

> The first cards were issued 2016.

Yes, I was incorrect.

   "My Card" is validated until 2032 and my Residents Card is validated until 2029.

I take you registered for MN in 2022, hence physical validation for 10 years and a permanent resident hence zairyu card being valid for 7 years.

No this is a second MN card. I had a new one issued in the Spring. 5 years to 2027 and valid until 2032.

I also renewed my Resident Card in the spring valid to 2029.

While I get your point, in my case as a permanent resident, my zairyu card is valid 7 years (i.e. 7, 14, 21), I do not want to bother with the MN deadlines (i.e. 5, 10, 15, 20 with 10, 20 being the year-mark for physical renewal and 5, 15 for e-certification). And yes, going to the immigration office (in my case Tokyo) is a pain in the neck.

My MN renewal took 20 minutes.

Do not forget, foreigners in Japan are second-rated to Japanese nationals. As such, I do not expect the same service as the card has not the same use and meaning for "us" and "them"...unfortunately.

Foreigners are never Japanese nationals.

As a foreigner in Japan I want to have 4 separate cards: Residence, Driver's, My number, medical insurance. This way I feel safer even in case one of my cards is hacked.

I've already linked my Myna card to my hoken. It'll be nice not to have to carry that fragile paper hokensho in my wallet anymore. I'm not worried about big brother knowing what meds I take. They do already from the hoken records.

I got the original Y5000 yen in my PayPay account like a year or so ago, back when that was the only bonus. And, added the additional 15,000 when they started that. It's easy as cake on the PayPay app, which is available in English.

Here in Kenya, High Court stopped MyNumber process at 60% in year 2021 for security reasons. We call it Huduma Number

If you wanted to live in another Country where everything was integrated and seemingly worked well, without the fear of data theft.... where would that be ?

@garypen - you wait... it's not your big brother, that you should be worried about (Orwellian jokes aside), but it is us - imagine that your monthly drug prescriptions were made publicly available here on JT along side your comments... for all to view... or indeed, who you voted for in the last election, or which stocks you hold ... clearly Politicians have thought this through and they will have black-outs upon their information, but for the rest of us... fair game ?

Every hospital you ever visited has a record of you even from 20 years ago. They need records for payments and in case there are court cases.

And from 21 years ago, they are gone. Hospitals, if I recall correctly, are only required to keep information for 20 years. My records from my back surgery, from 25 years ago are gone. In three different hospitals.

A doctor doesnt need to see my records for a broken hand, when I am going for a EKG.

They do already from the hoken records.

No they do not! Individual hospitals have individual records, they are not integrated. (YET)

> wallaceOct. 13  06:32 pm JST

The Residents Card will never be part of the My Number card. My Number is from the local government office. The Residents Card which only applies to non-Japanese is issued by the Tokyo Immigration Office

It was mentioned by the media.

The health insurance, driving license are issued by different authorities. So the residence card can be included too if the government wants to. He can do whatever he wants

1-number solutions for many needs are more convenience to all sorts of people, especially fraudsters.

And please don't let Japan do like India did with their https://www.digilocker.gov.in/ data platform for all govt documents on a person. When it was hacked, it was bad.

All seems convenient, faster, and more efficient until it isn't. Then it is bad. Really, really, bad. When the power is out from some infrastructure failure, squirrels, or attacks, what happens then? That's when people need their govt to help the most - when things are bad.

I did it, getting a slow trickle of points appearing in Paypay, gratefully received.

I got my card recently.

now how do I get the 20,000 shopping points?

Wallace

Thanks for posting the "kojinbango" link. I went to the site this morning to renew my card.

No dice. To quote: "online renewal is not available." So you can apply online for a new card but can't renew it. Yeah, that makes sense.

I guess I'll have to go to city hall once again.  Oh, hang on, the instructions state: "please bring the validation period notification." I never received that. That's why the discovery that my card had expired after only a few months was a shock.

Oh well, no more My Number for me. As the site states: "If the validity period of your card has lapsed, you can no longer use it as an identity document or use an electronic certificate."

So I'm not eligible for the program despite being a 20 year long-term Japan resident who works, pays taxes, national pension and health insurance. My Number is a joke.

In America, everyone has a Social Security number, and in the UK a National Insurance number. My Number is the same. The data on the card is very limited.

How would you hack the card?

Or even Residence, Driver's, and medical insurance cards.

Or ATM cards.

My Number Cards have a pin number to use. They also have a password.

The MN card does not contain any bank account or pension details.

If using it at a hospital, and very few are currently using it, the charges are the same whether using an MN card or a medical card.

Awa no Gaijin

I have all those - Japan my number ,drivers license , medical ..etc etc

I would rather not have them combined.

Jacobo

As a foreigner in Japan I want to have 4 separate cards: Residence, Driver's, My number, medical insurance. This way I feel safer even in case one of my cards is hacked.

Personally, I prefer to have less crap in my wallet.

Of course foreigners are different, it's Japan, innit

You are correct, my "my number " card expiration is the same date as my residence card, they don't want pesky foreigners to claim anything when they have no residence status. Imagine that horror....

How can that be possible? If the cards are renewed every 5 years? I only held the card for a few months. I recall the clerk said foreigners are different. Their cards expire with their Residents' Card. In my case, the Individual Number card expiry date is about three weeks earlier than the Residents' Card expiry date. My visa is renewed every three years.

JTC - @garypen - you wait... it's not your big brother, that you should be worried about (Orwellian jokes aside), but it is us - imagine that your monthly drug prescriptions were made publicly available here on JT along side your comments... for all to view... or indeed, who you voted for in the last election, or which stocks you hold ... clearly Politicians have thought this through and they will have black-outs upon their information, but for the rest of us... fair game 

Why would that info be posted next to my name in a forum, even if it was hacked? And, if for some extremely unlikely reason it was, why would I give a crap if people knew I took NSAIDs and pee flow meds? Oops. Now everybody knows.

And, why would my voting history be included in the myna database? It has never been connected to my SSN in the US, where a national number system has been in use for more than half a century. Why would it be tied to myna here?

FYI - those Y20,000 PayPay points can be used to buy a lot of aluminum foil for hat making. So, there's some upside.

In America, everyone has a Social Security number, and in the UK a National Insurance number.

That's true. I have a Canadian Social Security card and UK Nat'l Insurance card.

The former two were easy and straightforward to obtain and use. They don't periodically "expire" and require trips to city hall for a resubmission of documents and photos. And they are actually useful.

My attempts to register my Nenkin pension online account to NM and to obtain a residency certificate at a convenience store using a two-year-old NM IC card both failed --because the card was too old. My Canadian and Uk cards and several decades old and they still work.

If you're an immigrant, your My Number card expires on the same day that your residence card does.

When you renew a status of residence, there is an automatic two-month extension while the government reviews your situation and decides how long to extend you for. Your residence card gets a stamp on the back indicating this.

So even though your residence is perfectly legal, your My Number card will expire and you'll have to renew it too. If health insurance is linked to My Number, how do you use the healthcare system, which you are paying into every month, during that interval when your My Number card isn't valid but you're still insured?

According to the plan, My Number cards will become mandatory as Japan's health insurance system covers all residents. The move is part of efforts to promote cards issued under the ID system, which has proven unpopular with only half the population currently carrying them

No surprises. Who would want to give out so much information about themselves. I guess the government is tightening up things. Too many foreigners and Japanese not paying into the mandatory health insurance and pension schemes. A growing elderly population to boot. The government needs money to support this.

If health insurance is linked to My Number, how do you use the healthcare system, which you are paying into every month, during that interval when your My Number card isn't valid but you're still insured?

The Einsteins who dreamed up this turkey obviously didn't think through a lot of the scenarios. My similar concern is also what happens to my Nenkin pension enrollment if linked to NM. Does it go on hold while the immigration folks work on my visa renewal?

Only about 25% of the people have cards although everyone now has a number. Only about 17 % of hospitals are taking the MN card. people still have their health insurance card too.

The MN card is valid for 10 years. The health insurance card is replaced every year. Also for retired people like me the cards for only paying 20% of the healthcare and max monthly drug costs! And max monthly hospital costs.

Jeff Lee

you seem to be the only one with problems with your MN card.

your visa can be renewed before it expires. Same with your Residence card and MN card.

The health insurance card is replaced every year. 

Err, no it isn't, unless you change companies.

Did they tell you it costs more money when you go to medical institutions or to get prescriptions if you use the MyNumber card? Nope?

Why?

Did they tell you that for the elderly you have to give the MyNumber info to staff at elderly care facilities, which means they will have all the access to your bank and pension info as well when it's all integrated? No?

Just because they have the number they will have access to ALL of your data? How exactly?

Role of My Number in 2030

Thinking about the use of My Number from the perspective of future living

In May 2021, the Digital Reform Law was enacted, and in September of the same year, the Digital Agency was established. The Digital Agency positions the My Number system as one of the policies related to the development and dissemination of common functions necessary for a digital society, and is promoting the formation of a digital society with My Number as the basic ID. This paper looks back on the history of digital strategies in Japan, organizes the framework for discussion, and draws a vision of the future in which the use of ID systems has permeated and the roles of government agencies. presents the direction

of

https://www.pwc.com/jp/ja/knowledge/thoughtleadership/the-role-of-my-number-in-2030.html

@Wallace

you seem to be the only one with problems with your MN card.

All of my problems have been systemic and based directly on real-world experiences. there's no way I'm "the only one" out there.

The MN card is valid for 10 years

For the nth time, no it is not!!! Ask the kokumin nenkin folks who rejected my card when it was less than a year old.  The ward explained the reason to me. “Foreigners are different,” they said.

So stop spreading false information.

your visa can be renewed before it expires.

I did apply for extension well before expiration. Otherwise, I probably would have been kicked out the country (sigh). Immigration told me they were busy and approval would take longer than usual. (Welcome to the real world.)

Your info posted throughout this thread about renewal, validity etc are false, as my real-world experiences prove. If you need to resort to false info to promote something, then you know for sure that something is fatally flawed. It’s not strictly your fault, as the govt too is spreading false and contradictory info about NM as well, in particular to the foreign community, because when it comes to NM, “foreigners are different.”

@JeffLee

Your comments prompted me to look at my Individual Number Card. The expiry date is the middle of last year. A ward office clerk confirmed this to me.

How can that be possible? If the cards are renewed every 5 years? I only held the card for a few months. I recall the clerk said foreigners are different. Their cards expire with their Residents' Card. In my case, the Individual Number card expiry date is about three weeks earlier than the Residents' Card expiry date. My visa is renewed every three years.

What a confusing mess. This really appears to be a poorly designed program, and not worth the hassle.

This is why I told @wallace that they are connecting the MyNumber to foreigner's immigration status.

Foreigner's being different will always be the excuse to justify their discriminatory behaviors.

@wallace - Your understanding of the visa renewal system is mistaken. You have no control over when your status gets renewed: you submit your application, and the Ministry of Justice takes as much time as it needs to process it. The two-month extension stamp isn't there for you; it's there for them.

They sometimes contact your employer to confirm things and ask you to submit additional documents, and when they're done they send you a postcard to go there to renew your status and get your new resident card, after which you can get a new My Number card. Hope you don't need any medical care during this gap!

In their rush to ram through the My Number system and connect as much of society to it as they can, the government clearly hasn't thought everything through. They completely forgot that immigrants are under separate rules.

JeffLee

But it doesn't matter much if it is valid for 5 years or 10 years because renewal is very easy. The Residence Card is only for 7 years.

But you seem correct that the card for foreigners is for 5 years.

"The validity period of a My Number Card for FOREIGN NATIONALS.

For those having a medium to long-term resident status (except permanent residents and highly

skilled professional (ii)), the Card will become invalid on the expiry date of the period of stay.

Please bring your My Number Card before it expires, after you extended your period of stay because

your My Number Card will not be automatically extended.

If you failed to extend your My Number Card, the Card will become invalid. In this case, to re-issue

a new card, you will be charged a fee of 800 yen for the Card, and another 200 yen for an electronic

certificate."

https://www.city.tsukuba.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/page/001/013/953/maina202208en.pdf

I think you renew your Residence Card and My Number card in the same period.

ThonTaddeo

@wallace - Your understanding of the visa renewal system is mistaken. You have no control over when your status gets renewed: you submit your application, and the Ministry of Justice takes as much time as it needs to process it. The two-month extension stamp isn't there for you; it's there for them.

Sorry, I should not really comment on visas because I have not had one for decades. I am PR married. I did not even have a passport for 10 years.

Also, I have never worked here so I know nothing about employers.

But according to this link

You may submit a Japan Visa Extension application up to three months (90 days) before the date your visa is set to expire.

https://visaguide.world/asia/japan-visa/extension/

blue

There is nothing I or any other foreigner can do about any system that is introduced living here. I accept what I cannot change and stop worrying about it. The government does not read comments on JT.

Best to chill out or change the country you live in.

You could become a Japanese citizen and then have the vote.

I guess for many that is too much change.

Hope you don't need any medical care during this gap!

As long as you begin the paperwork for the renovation of the status of residence you can go to the city office and get the same 2 month extension on the validity of the MN card, there is no need to have any gap. Same as with other things like bank accounts (that get blocked if your status expire).

Still this takes out the convenience for the card for foreign nationals, if people under short contracts have to renovate their status yearly, the card was convenient because you would get copies of the documents (family register, tax certificate, etc.) without having to lose time in the city office, but since the card can only be renovated there and it expires at the same time as your status then that means the visit is still necessary, and if the paperwork delays and your status expires before it is ready then you have to pay for re-issuing the new card (or go twice, once to get the two month extension and another time to get the rest of the time)

At the end this represents no advantage, and potentially more disadvantages.

The administration could connect the VISA permit to the MyNumber instead of the Gaikokujin Tourokusho.

Then we won't need Gaikokujin Toroukusho anymore.

The MyNumber would suffice.

More simple, less paperwork, all digital.

if you're not a permanent resident, you have to renew your mynumber card every single time your visa is due for renewal. it's such a hassle that after the second time I reverted back to the green paper version; they should really address the issue if they want people to apply for a card.

Very undemocratic and self-righteous politics as same as state funeral last month.

Besides, no authorities take responsibility at all about this fragile system despite compulsion to all general public.

Good move. France has had a digitized national health insurance card (Carte Vitale) since 1998. My only concern is the name, which is a mouthful in an English context: "Where did I put my My Number Card?"