Japan is poised to become the first country outside of the US where an official, government-issued digital ID will be supported in the iPhone’s Apple Wallet. Apple has announced that starting in the late spring of 2025, Japanese citizens will be able to load a virtual version of their “My Number” card in their iOS device.
First introduced in 2016, My Number is a national identification initiative designed to streamline administrative efficiency, social security, taxation, and disaster response. Each Japanese resident receives a unique 12-digit number, which consolidates various forms of personal identification into one secure, centralized system. The My Number card comprises a photograph and an IC chip, and facilitates online government services and financial transactions.
According to Japan’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Taro Kono, over 100 million citizens have applied for the My Number Card, and it is now “widely used in everyday life,” for both online and in-person transactions.
The Japan Digital Agency is now working with Apple to bring the digital card to the iPhone, with the aim of letting residents present their official ID on their smartphone, and access government services through an iOS app.
Biometric authentication will be central to these transactions. When presenting their iOS My Number card for identity verification, users will be prompted to perform a face or fingerprint scan on their device, and to hold the iPhone over a contactless ID card reader.
“I am very pleased to be working with Apple, under the leadership of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Apple CEO Tim Cook, on this bold initiative to incorporate the My Number Card function into smartphones,” Kono said. “The Digital Agency will build a world-leading, safe and convenient digital society based on smartphones.”
In the US, meanwhile, Apple has been working with state authorities to gradually roll out iPhone-based mobile IDs in select states, which now include Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, and Utah.
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May 31, 2024 – by Alex Perala
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