Tokyo, 13 September, /AJMEDIA/
Japan is planning to extend My Number identification card integration to driver’s licenses from March under the revised road traffic law, the National Police Agency said Thursday.
The storage of driver’s license information on the IC chips on My Number cards, to be offered from March 24, will simplify procedures when changing names and addresses. People who have driver’s license information stored on My Number cards will pay a lower fee for renewal of their licenses.
The police agency said it also plans to allow people nationwide to sit their obligatory driver’s license renewal information sessions online after trials in Hokkaido, Chiba, Kyoto and Yamaguchi prefectures.
The agency will solicit public comments about implementation of the revised road traffic law between Sept. 13 and Oct. 12.
While the Japanese government is planning to scrap health insurance cards in December 2024 by integrating them with My Number cards, people will be able to continue holding separate driver’s licenses.
It currently costs 2,050 yen to issue a driver’s license and 2,500 yen to renew one, with the fees slated to rise to 2,350 yen and 2,850 yen, respectively, under the amended law. In comparison, the integration of driver’s license information with My Number cards will cost 1,550 yen initially and 2,100 yen for renewal.
Under the My Number ID card system launched in 2016, every citizen and foreign resident living in Japan receives a 12-digit number that links various personal data such as tax and social security information.