To ensure continued access to the national health insurance program, eligibility certificates will be offered free of charge to those who have not integrated their health insurance and My Number cards, the government announced Friday.

Ministries have been discussing the issue following the announcement in October that the national health insurance cards will be phased out in the fall of 2024, to be replaced with My Number cards.

According to the latest plan, national health insurance subscribers will have two options if they don’t have an integrated My Number card:

  • Apply for a government certificate proving their eligibility. The certificate will be issued free of charge and will be valid for a year.

  • Continue using the current health care card, which will be valid for another year after it is phased out.

Certificates will be issued to people who do not own or have lost their My Number cards. They will contain the same information as health insurance cards, and can be renewed indefinitely after they expire.

Media reports earlier this month said that the government is contemplating charging a fee when users apply for the certificate, prompting criticism on social media.

But health minister Katsunobu Kato said last week that because being part of the health insurance system is mandatory, getting treated through the program is their “natural right.”

In an effort to ensure a smooth transition, the government plans to expedite applications for lost My Number cards. Currently, it takes around a month to issue one, but the plan is to reduce that to as little as five days by fall next year.

The My Number card system is being promoted as part of Japan’s “digital transformation” initiative, which also encompasses the nation’s medical field. The plan also allows parents to issue My Number cards to newborns without a photo, valid for five years.

As of Sunday, 46 million people, or around 36% of the population, had registered to integrate health insurance cards with My Number. In October 2021, Japan launched a system to use the integrated My Number cards at some hospitals and clinics.