Amidst rising demands from the ruling parties for the postponement of a deadline to scrap health insurance certificates, which the government plans to get rid of as the functionality of the insurance certification is now included in the My Number system, the administration is grappling with the fallout over problems with My Number IDs.
The government aims to address public concerns as soon as possible, edging the possibility of a snap election in autumn.
Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Katsunobu Kato used his My Number card to check his medical treatment history during a visit to a hospital in Kawasaki on Monday, Minister Katsunobu Kato said. It's important for the public to actually use their health insurance-linked My Number cards to understand the merits, Kato said.
The government will give a thorough explanation of the issue during out-of-session deliberations in the House of Councillors on Wednesday.
Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihiko Isozaki said the cabinet will continue working on a comprehensive review and preventive measures to regain public trust as soon as possible. However, criticism has been growing among the ruling parties regarding the timeline of the government's plan to incorporate the functionality of health insurance certificates into the My Number system.
The integration commitment is not necessary because the deadline for integration is not necessary. Koichi Hagiuda, chairperson of the Policy Research Council of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, said on Monday that creating opportunities for the public to promote understanding of the issue is what s needed.
According to a former LDP lawmaker, Hagiuda has publicly expressed opposition because of a belief among some ruling party members that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been naive about the issue.
By autumn 2024, the government was planning to scrap health insurance certificates. It also added a grace period for existing certificates to be valid until autumn 2025.
In a nationwide survey conducted from July 21 to 23, 58% of thesurveyed respondents opposed the integration of health insurance certificates into the My Number system, and 33% supported it.
As long as there is dissatisfaction among the public, the government should deal flexibly with the issue, he said. It would be an idea to adopt a system under which people can choose between insurance-linked My Number cards or existing health insurance certificates. The government's response to the problem is not clear, said Natsuo Yamaguchi, leader of the LDP coalition partner Komeito. To explain the merits of integration, it's crucial to explain the merits of integration. There is no sign of a resolution to problems with the My Number system, and there are calls within the ruling parties to postpone the integration deadline.
The government has established a headquarters to conduct a comprehensive review of My Number and expects to complete work to fix the system by autumn. Some LDP lawmakers want public concerns to be taken care of ahead of the next lower house election. The opposition parties plan to strengthen their offensive on the issue, he said.
The government is pushing ahead with the plan to scrap health insurance certificates without listening to the public, said Kenta Izumi, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
The CDPJ is expected to grill digital minister Taro Kono and other cabinet members over the issue during Wednesday's out-of-session Diet deliberations.