What started as a series of minor technical issues related to the My Number card could potentially turn into a bigger headache for digital minister Taro Kono and the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Opinion polls have indicated latent public dissatisfaction with how the Kishida administration has been handling the matter.
According to an NHK poll conducted over the weekend, 49% of respondents said the government’s response so far has been inadequate and an equal number expressed their opposition to expanding use of the My Number system, a 12-digit number allowing residents to manage information related to administrative services, employment, pensions and social security.