Foreigners residing in Japan for more than three months will be eligible from Monday to use the nationwide resident registration network, which the government says will simplify administrative procedures, as well as apply for an official chip-based photo ID card.
Around 2 million foreign residents will be covered by the Juki Net national resident registry network, which assigns an 11-digit record code to every eligible resident. Municipal governments will begin providing notification of the codes from Monday.
The system allows a person to obtain a copy of their resident record outside of their municipality, submit change of address notifications by mail or Internet and benefit from other streamlined processes, according to the government.
Applicants must make a submission to the offices of their local municipality to have a basic registration card issued.