Public concern remains deep-seated over the possibility that personal information will be leaked and privacy will be violated as the My Number system, under which the government has assigned a 12-digit identification number to every resident in Japan, went into force at the beginning of this year. Adding fuel to such fears are plans to facilitate commercial use of big data — a vast array of information collected from a variety of sources. The government needs to take convincing steps to eradicate these worries on the part of the citizens.

Even though the My Number system has kicked in, not everyone has received the notification bearing their ID number. The potential difficulties such people could face in various aspects of their lives need to be addressed.

Beginning this month, people are required to produce their ID number for such procedures as applying for livelihood protection benefits or joining the public health insurance program at their local municipal office. Businesses are required to collect the ID numbers of their employees — including part-timers — and in most cases, their dependents.