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Diffusion
of the Basic Resident Register Network (Juki Network) and
Residential Smart Card (Juki Card)
(June 29, 2004)
Promoting Information Economy & Society Committee |
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During
the past three years, the Promoting Information Economy &
Society Committee has presented proposals on the formation
of an electronic government to realize the “e-Japan and
e-democracy” vision. In today’s advanced network-based
society, an electronic personal identification mechanism is
urgently needed. Based on this awareness, the Committee carried
out public questionnaires as well as conducted various studies
on the policy of utilizing the Basic Resident Register Network
(Juki Network) as the national foundation for personal identification.
The Juki Network is a nationwide system for registering and
certifying residents under various government programs and
streamlining administrative procedures by linking municipal,
prefectural and national governments and their agencies. Under
the system, all Japanese nationals are assigned an 11-digit
identification number to be encoded on a residential smart
card called Juki Card, which also contains the individual’s
name, date of birth, gender, and address as well as the resident
register code. The Juki Card allows governments to access
the Juki Network system and supply personal identification
or otherwise process personal information for administrative
purposes with minimum burden. The Juki Network began secondary
service operations in August 2003.
Based on the results of the aforementioned questionnaires
and studies, the Committee compiled a proposal addressing
urgent issues on utilizing the Juki Network as a foundation
for personal identification. The proposal was submitted to
Mr. Taro Aso, Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs,
Posts and Telecommunications, and officially announced on
June 29.
Basic Concept
The Juki Network was built by the initiative of the government
itself with an aim of realizing “e-Japan Strategy II,”
the blueprint of the second phase of Japan’s national
IT strategy. A considerable amount of money was injected into
the construction of the network. However, the number of Juki
Cards that were issued at the request of residents to access
the Juki Network fell far short of the government’s initial
projection of 3 million.
It should be noted, however, that the Juki Network’s
function as a reliable foundation of personal identification
is indispensable for realizing a sound, safe, and equitable
network society. To provide a secure system, the Juki Network
manages only the minimum amount of personal information needed
to identify a private citizen. Specifically, it manages the
so-called four basic information—name, address, gender,
and date of birth—in addition to the resident register
code. With correct usage, there is no other identification
system as effective and efficient as the Juki Network.
The Committee discussed the Juki Network from a fundamental
perspective and renewed its understanding of why the network
was created in the first place. As a result, it reached the
conclusion that a government-guaranteed, reliable identification
system must be actively utilized as a national asset and made
available not only to administrative sectors but also to the
business sector in order to promote the e-Japan Strategy.
The Committee proposed the following points for diffusing
and promoting the Juki Network. |
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| Proposals |
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| 1. |
In order to
streamline administrative procedures and to realize a safe
and equitable society, the Juki Network and Code should be
utilized widely for tax collection and national pension premium
collection as well, so that the identification of private
citizens can be confirmed efficiently and expeditiously.
In order to streamline administrative procedures and to realize
a safe and equitable society, public discussions must immediately
be held on the expanded utilization of the Juki Network and
Code, and a consensus must be reached in all sectors and at
all levels of society. The Juki Network and Code should be
utilized for the collection of tax, national pension premiums,
and national health insurance tax, as well as for the payment
of the water bill and other public utility bills. |
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| 2. |
The Juki system
should allow the same Juki Card to be used even when a person
moves to another municipality, and the card should be a multi-purpose
IC card capable of incorporating various services desired
by users.
Existing Juki Cards are IC cards capable of storing several
applications on one card, but their uses are currently limited
because they are issued and managed by local governments.
The cards should be made so that they can also be used when
shopping at local stores and when using transportation, for
example. |
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| 3. |
The government
must present a clear strategy for creating a network society
based on a secure identification system and install an independent
administrative commission in the Cabinet so that the public
and private sectors can cooperate in realizing such a society.
In addition, it should aim to achieve public consensus on
the safeguarding of personal information.
In order to enhance public convenience and promote effective
operation of the Juki Network by the administration, the government
should aim to create and achieve innovative and sustainable
strategies by installing an independent administrative commission
in the Cabinet. The commission should be comprised of private
individuals representing all spheres of society, and should
be authorized its own budget.
At the same time, consideration must be given to safeguarding
personal information. In an information network society, personal
information must be handled with extreme care, and different
types of personal information must be processed at different
levels to ensure privacy. For example, the four basic information—name,
address, gender, date of birth—used to identify a private
citizen must be treated differently from information concerning
basic human rights, such as an individual’s religion
and beliefs. As such, measures for their protection must also
vary accordingly. |
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