All 195 countries · Eastern Asia
Japan
Japan's My Number Card is voluntary but became the route to health insurance after the old card ended on 2 December 2024. The Bank of Japan's CBDC pilot continues with no issuance decision. A 2023 lawsuit challenged the health insurance link.
Digital ID · Goal 16.9
Digital ID in Japan
- Program
- My Number Card
- Status
- Used by most adults
- National ID card
- ID card voluntary
- Biometrics
- No
- Law
- Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in Administrative Procedures (Act No. 27 of 2013), amended 2023
The card carries a 12-digit number, a face photo and an IC chip. No law makes it compulsory, but it is now needed to use the national health insurance card. Over 100 million have been issued. An iPhone version launched in June 2025 and an Android version in 2023. Data errors and mislinked records were reported in 2023-2024.
Digital money · Goal 8.10
Central bank digital currency
- Status
- Pilot
- Name
- Digital yen
The Bank of Japan pilot program began in April 2023. Its latest progress report is dated 11 September 2026. No decision to issue has been made.
On the record
What has happened, newest first
- 2026-09-11Rolling it out
The Bank of Japan published its latest CBDC pilot progress report. Bank of Japan — Central Bank Digital Currency ↗
- 2025-06Rolling it out
An iPhone My Number Card launched. SEAP (Nationality for All) — Japan digital ID overview ↗
- 2024-12-02Rolling it out
Issuance of traditional health insurance cards ended, moving users to My Number Card. SEAP (Nationality for All) — Japan digital ID overview ↗
UN and WHO
How Japan has voted
- WHO
- Accepted the 2024 rule changes
- Pandemic Agreement (May 2025)
- No recorded objection
- Migration compact (Dec 2018)
- Voted yes
- Paris climate deal
- Party
- SDG Index 2026
- 81.0 · rank 20 of 169
- Progress reports to the UN (VNRs)
- 3
Sovereignty score
How the -3 adds up
- -1Running a CBDC pilot source ↗
- -1Government digital ID used by most adults source ↗
- -1Prices carbon nationally (tax or emissions trading) source ↗
Points come only from public, sourced actions we track, scored the same way for every country. It isn't a grade of a whole government. How scoring works →
People pushing back
Groups and cases in Japan
- 2023 lawsuit by 274 plaintiffs against the My Number health insurance card requirementPlaintiffs challenged making health insurance access depend on the My Number Card. source ↗
Nobody runs this from the top
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