Most of the nation's companies are struggling to find a way to securely store My Number — the new 12-digit social security key that will be used to access everyone's income tax and bank account information starting next year.
The search for security is making life especially difficult for small and midsize firms, which account for about 99 percent of all companies in Japan.
"It's a great burden on us," said Masanori Okamura of ICT-Leasing, Inc., a Tokyo aviation firm with 15 employees.