The Social Security and Tax Number System

TIPS
  • The Social Security and Tax Number (Individual Number) is a unique 12-digit number assigned to every resident of Japan.
  • Note that certain application forms submitted to the Health Insurance Society require entry of the Social Security and Tax Number.

Notice concerning the use of a Social Security and Tax Number Card as an insurance card

See here regarding inquiries about the Social Security and Tax Number System.

Social Security and Tax Number toll-free general hotline
0120-95-0178

Hours: 9:30 am - 8:00 pm M-F, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm weekends (not including New Year’s and year-end holidays)

Reference link

Adoption of the Social Security and Tax Number System

Under the Social Security and Tax Number System, every person registered on a certificate of residence will be assigned a 12-digit Individual Number (Social Security and Tax Number). This will make it possible to accurately and efficiently link information for individuals across the domains of social security, tax, and disaster response.

Purpose of adoption of the Social Security and Tax Number System

  1. Administrative efficiency
    The system will greatly reduce the time and effort required by national administrative agencies, local governments, and other organizations for various activities, including checking, transferring, and entering various types of information. By better linking multiple operations, the system will eliminate task duplication and other inefficiencies.
  2. Realizing a fair and equitable society
    The system will make it easier to ascertain income and benefits received from other administrative services. This, in turn, will help prevent cases of unjustified avoidance of burdens or inappropriate receipt of benefits, while providing comprehensive assistance to those who really need it.
  3. Improving convenience to the public
    The system will simplify various administrative procedures and reduce the burden for the public - for example, by reducing the need to attach documents. The system will also allow members of the public to check the information concerning them held by administrative agencies and to receive notifications of and learn about various services such agencies can provide.

Social Security and Tax Number Card (Individual Number Card)

The Social Security and Tax Number Card is a plastic card with an embedded IC chip. The front indicates the bearer's name, address, date of birth, gender, and facial photograph. The rear indicates the bearer's Social Security and Tax Number.
This card can be used as an ID card and to access various services (e.g., local government services, e-Tax and other electronic filing systems using digital certificates).
To apply for issuance, contact your municipal government.

Reference link

You can use your Individual Number Card as a health insurance card

The amended Health Insurance Act promulgated in May 2019 introduced a system that lets you use your Social Security and Tax Number Card (Individual Number Card) as a health insurance card (online eligibility verification system), starting in March 2021. This system became fully operational on October 20, 2021.
You can use your Individual Number Card as a health insurance card to verify various eligibility information-for example, the health insurer providing coverage-at medical care institutions and other facilities that have adopted the online eligibility verification system.

  • * Note that you can continue using your current health insurance card. The system simply adds a health insurance card feature to the Social Security and Tax Number Card.

You must register on the Mynaportal site etc. before using your Individual Number Card as your health insurance card. See here for more information.

Using your Individual Number Card as your health insurance card (Mynaportal)

You can also apply for prior registration at a Seven Bank ATM.

How to apply at a Seven Bank ATM (Seven Bank)

Reference link
Reference link

About online eligibility verification

The online eligibility verification system uses the IC chip on the Individual Number Card or the health insurance card code/number, etc. to verify eligibility information.

System of online eligibility verification
  • * Medical care institutions and other facilities do not handle patients’ (12-digit) Social Security and Tax Numbers directly. Instead, they use the IC chips on Individual Number Cards.
  • * An Individual Number Card cannot be used as a health insurance card at medical care institutions and other facilities that have yet to adopt the online eligibility verification system.

Advantages:

If you start employment, change jobs, or move to a new address, you can use your Individual Number Card as your health insurance card for examinations and treatment, without waiting for a new health insurance card. (You are still required to apply for membership to a health insurance society.)

Even if you have not obtained a Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount or other documents in advance, you will be exempt from payment in excess of the maximum copayment amount under the High-Cost Medical Care Benefits system by consenting to provision of information on your Certificate of Application of Maximum Copayment Amount when using a Myna health insurance card.

Mynaportal is now more convenient to use. With Mynaportal, you can review your specific health checkup information, prescription information, and medical care cost information. You can also enter the medical care cost information required to claim medical expenses deductions on your income tax return.

Schedule for linkage to Individual Number Card

April 2023 Medical care institutions, pharmacies, etc. are in principle required to adopt the online eligibility verification system.
December 2, 2024 Integration of Individual Number Card and health insurance card. Current health insurance cards will no longer be issued and their use will be abolished.
  • * Health insurance cards valid as of December 1, 2024 may be used for up to one year (until December 1, 2025).
  • * If you do not have a Myna health insurance card, you will be issued an eligibility verification certificate without needing to apply for one. Using this certificate, you can continue to receive medical care as before. (If your Myna health insurance card is lost or damaged, apply to the Health Insurance Society to be issued an eligibility verification certificate.)

Individual Number Card acceptance

In general, medical care institutions and other facilities that accept the Individual Number Card as a health insurance card will display posters and stickers indicating "マイナ受付 (Individual Number Card Accepted Here)."

Reference link

Caution:

When using your Individual Number Card as your health insurance card for the first time or if you have just been issued with a new health insurance card due to re-employment or for other reason, it is advisable to bring your health insurance card together with your Individual Number Card to a hospital just to be certain.

Account registration system for receipt of public funds

The account registration system for receipt of public funds is a voluntary system for registering your savings account with a financial institution with the Japanese government (Digital Agency) as a personal account for receiving benefits and other funds.
After registering your account, you will no longer need to enter the name of a financial institution or account number when applying or completing other procedures for health insurance and other benefits.

Reference link

You can register an account for receiving public funds at Mynaportal.

Reference link

Subject health insurance benefits etc.

  • Inpatient Meal Expenses, Inpatient Living Expenses, medical care expenses, Home-Visit Nursing Care Expenses, and Transportation Expenses
  • Payment of Injury and Sickness Allowance
  • Payment of Funeral Expenses
  • Payment of Childbirth and Childcare Lump-Sum Grant
  • Payment of Maternity Allowance
  • Payment of Dependents’ Medical Care Expenses, Dependents’ Home-Visit Nursing Care Expenses, and Dependents’ Transportation Expenses
  • Payment of Dependents’ Funeral Expenses
  • Payment of Dependents’ Childbirth and Childcare Lump-Sum Grant
  • Payment of High-Cost Medical Care Benefits and High Aggregate Cost for Long-Term Care Service
  • Additional benefits stipulated in the health insurance society's constitution
  • Refunds of insurance premiums paid by Voluntarily and Continuously Insured Persons and Special-Case Retired Insured Persons

Scheduled start of operations

Operations will begin successively from October 2022 for insurers who have completed preparations.

Handling of Social Security and Tax Numbers and specific personal information

Social Security and Tax Numbers and personal information containing these numbers ( "specific personal information" hereinafter) may not be used for purposes other than those specified by law.

Restrictions apply to the use, provision, and collection of Social Security and Tax Numbers.

  1. Scope of use of Social Security and Tax Numbers
    By law, use of the numbers is restricted to administrative procedures related to social security, tax, and disaster response.
  2. Requests to provide Social Security and Tax Numbers
    The individuals concerned and others can only be asked to provide Social Security and Tax Numbers when this information is necessary to prepare documents for procedures involving social security and tax matters.
  3. Restrictions on requests to provide Social Security and Tax Numbers and on provision and collection of specific personal information
    Requesting or collecting Social Security and Tax Numbers and specific personal information or providing this information to others is prohibited except in accordance with restrictions set forth under law.

The Health Insurance Society will handle Social Security and Tax Numbers as a Person in Charge of Affairs Using the Individual Number.

A Person in Charge of Affairs Using the Individual Number is a national administrative agency, a local government, an independent administrative agency, or other organization that uses Social Security and Tax Numbers in their processing of administrative procedures, as established in Appended Table 1 of the Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in the Administrative Procedure and relevant ordinances.
As a Person in Charge of Affairs Using the Individual Number, the Health Insurance Society will use Social Security and Tax Numbers solely within the scope of such administrative procedures.

Announcement of Specific Personal Information Protection Assessment

As part of efforts to protect personal information, the Social Security and Tax Number System requires Specific Personal Information Protection Assessments of implementing organizations. For these assessments, the organizations must estimate the potential consequences of leaks of specific personal information and other events on privacy and the other rights and interests of individuals; analyze the potential risk of the occurrence of such leaks and other events; and take appropriate measures to mitigate such risks. It also requires the organizations to declare the implementation of these tasks through assessment reports.
Listed below are the assessment reports currently issued by the Health Insurance Society on issues related to the protection of specific personal information:

Assessment report on basic items

Assessment report no. Assessment report title
1