A smartphone app enables My Number identity verification. KYODO/VNA Photo

TOKYO — Japan on Monday halted issuing new health insurance cards, as the government pushes to merge their functions into the My Number identification cards, aiming to increase the use of the integrated cards in a digitalisation drive.

To receive treatment at hospitals and other medical institutions, people who have My Number cards integrated with health insurance data will have to present them. But existing health insurance cards can still be used, with a grace period of up to one year.

Meanwhile, those who do not have My Number cards can still receive insured care if they show a certificate proving their enrollment in health insurance.

Residents who have not applied for My Number cards in the first place or registered them for use as health insurance cards by the expiration date are among those who will receive the newly issued certificates.

The certificates, which substitute for health insurance cards, can be used for up to five years and are subject to renewal. They can be sent to the residents via postal mail, among other methods.

When using the My Number card integrated with health insurance data, the cardholder will have to scan it using a card reader at a medical institution, with their identity verified by entering a four-digit code or through facial recognition.

The number of people who have already registered their My Number cards as their health insurance cards has reached 77.47 million, or 82 per cent of the total holders as of the end of October, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Existing insurance cards can be used until December 1, 2025, both for those with an expiration date indicated on the certificates and those without one.

But the cards will be unusable if the medical insurance their holders are covered by is altered due to a job change or relocation.

Only in the event of problems with the My Number card system, such as the failure of card scanning at medical institutions, a separate notice about a person's enrollment in medical insurance can be presented instead.

This notice is sent by a health insurance association to which one belongs or by a local municipal government, and can also be confirmed onscreen on the cardholder's page on the My Number smartphone app.

The My Number ID system was launched in 2016, allotting a 12-digit number to every citizen and foreign resident in Japan and carrying their photo, name and other personal information. It has had setbacks, following revelations of information leaks and registration errors.

The My Number card is optional and can be used for identification in various administrative procedures, including obtaining a residence certificate at convenience stores or applying for welfare benefits.

Integrating the functions of the health insurance cards with the My Number cards would allow medical institutions, with the patient's consent, to view the card holder's data such as medical prescription records, and offer the appropriate treatment, the government says. KYODO