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JAPAN
Jun 29, 2023

Japan aims to fix medical fee errors linked to My Number by August

System errors over the use of My Number cards as health insurance certificates have caused many patients to have to pay the full amount of medical costs out of their own pocket.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 23, 2022

ByteDance employees accessed TikTok data of two journalists in leak probe

The data was accessed as part of an unsuccessful effort to identify potential connections between journalists and company employees, to learn if they were in the same location.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 31, 2022

Beijing did not share information about Chinese rocket falling to Earth, NASA says

Analysts said the rocket body would disintegrate as it plunged through the atmosphere but is large enough that numerous chunks will likely survive a fiery re-entry and rain down debris.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2022

Lost USB memory sticks with data on Japanese city's residents found

Suita police officers and a worker found a bag containing the USB sticks outside an apartment building in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 18, 2022

Olympic athletes told to leave phones at home to dodge spying in China

Beijing has promised the world's top athletes access to a partially unfettered internet during the Winter Games, but security experts say there are reasons to exercise caution.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2021

Airbnb and Expedia start to share information on party house offenders

According to a joint statement by both companies, the Community Integrity Program aims to 'prioritize safety” and root out 'chronic offenders.”
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 1, 2021

Confab offers foreign residents wealth of information

The international and expatriate population of the Tokyo metropolitan area has been growing rapidly in recent years. One in every 25 residents of the capital is now of foreign origin, according to government statistics, and despite a dip last year due to the pandemic, this trend is expected to continue...
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2023

My Number woes put digital minister Taro Kono under pressure

Another misstep could deal a further blow to the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and jeopardize the political standing of Kono.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2023

My Number report highlights errors by insurers and local governments

Roughly 20% of surveyed local governments followed the wrong procedures when linking My Number with disability records.
One big challenge public health officials now face is how to restore trust so that people listen to future guidance on everything from flu shots to childhood vaccines.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 27, 2023

Not all COVID-19 ‘misinformation’ is equal — nor misinformation

Public health scientists have to figure out how to get back to the kind of nuanced, thoughtful discussions that were the pre-pandemic norm.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2023

Digital Agency given guidance over My Number issues

The agency submitted a report on the problems with the system in June, but the government commission judged the report insufficient.
TikTok creators gather before a news conference to voice their opposition to a pending crackdown legislation on TikTok in the House of Representatives, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Mar 15, 2024

TikTok bill sets up fight over free speech protections of U.S. Constitution

Opponents could argue it infringes free speech by preventing users from expressing themselves and businesses from using the app to promote their products.
Police officers monitor traffic on the streets from surveillance cameras in Buenos Aires in April 2020.
WORLD / Society
Mar 20, 2024

Reboot of Buenos Aires facial recognition plan fuels privacy fears

The system of 300 cameras linked to a national crime database was suspended two years ago after a court ruled it unconstitutional.
Participants take part in a matchmaking event organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government at Jindai Botanical Gardens on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 23, 2024

Tokyo, Tokyo, make me a match! Metropolis hopes AI app will spur marriages

The app will ask matrimonial hopefuls more than 100 questions as the capital seeks to curb declining numbers of marriages and births.
People applying for My Number cards are likely to be able to present digital IDs as valid identification documents when receiving the card starting next month.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2024

Government plans to allow digital IDs to receive My Number cards

The move is aimed at broadening the scope of acceptable ID methods to encourage students and workers to sign up for the cards.
Digital transformation minister Taro Kono says the government plans to use My Number ID cards to track the evacuation status of disaster victims.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024

Japan to utilize My Number cards at evacuation centers

"We want to facilitate the response of local governments and residents in the event of a disaster," digital transformation minister Taro Kono said.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly stealing IDs and passwords of people attempting to buy his fictitious online game account by guiding them to a fake website.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 4, 2024

17-year-old boy arrested for stealing IDs on fake website

The 17-year-old compromised other people's accounts using their IDs and passwords and sent their funds to his own account.
Starting next March, the My Number card can be used as a driver's license.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024

Use of My Number card as driver's license to start March 24

The My Number card will function as a driver's license, with its embedded integrated circuit chip to contain new information such as license type.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. With a flurry of hacks and fake websites, Iran has intensified its efforts to discredit American democracy and possibly tip the race against former President Donald Trump.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 19, 2024

U.S. says Iranian hackers sent Trump information to Biden camp

U.S. authorities have escalated efforts to combat foreign interference before the November election, with particular focus on Russia, Iran and China.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 24, 2024

Telegram CEO Durov says app to provide more data to governments

The messaging app will provide users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to relevant authorities in response to valid legal requests.
The My Number card will function as a driver's license after information such as the type of license is recorded on the integrated circuit chip embedded in the card.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2024

Government adopts order allowing use of My Number card as driver's license

From March 24, drivers will be able to choose between using only the My Number card, incorporating a driver's license, using only the conventional license, or using both.
A Tokyo couple allegedly used credit cards obtained fraudulently using other people's IDs to buy smartphones, luxury clothing and expensive liquor, according to the police.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 3, 2024

Tokyo couple held for fraud allegedly bought and resold 200 smartphones

Takaaki Saito, 32, and Chiharu Saito, 33, are accused of exploiting multiple stolen identities to obtain credit cards to make the purchases.
A Metropolitan Police Department flyer on high-paying illegal work advertised on social media, known as yami baito
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2024

Police may be able to use fake IDs to investigate yami baito

The new measures would allow investigators to sign up for shady jobs with disguised identities and make contact with individuals behind the recruitment.
A clinic in the city of Saitama in May 2020
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 11, 2025

Japan may provide support to boost rollout of smartphone-based health cards

The health ministry may provide support to medical institutions and pharmacies to promote the use of digital My Number personal identification and health insurance cards.
The government adopted a bill to help prevent cases of human rights abuses and other malicious activities related to the use of artificial intelligence but without hindering businesses' willingness to develop the technology.
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2025

New bill lets government publicize names of firms who maliciously use AI

The bill doesn't include "excessive regulations" that could impede technological innovation, the science and technology policy minister said.
Meta’s rapid AI chatbot rollout is raising safety concerns as critics cite inappropriate responses and poor accountability despite its access to vast user data.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 14, 2025

Meta’s defense of its rogue AI sounds painfully familiar

The social media platform Meta is going on the attack instead of worrying about its users. How did that work out the last time?
Under the "digital address" system launched by Japan Post, users can input seven-digit combinations of numbers and letters on online shopping and other websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2025

Japan Post launches 'digital address' system

Under the system, users can input seven-digit codes on online shopping websites, and their addresses will automatically appear on the sites.

Longform

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