Testing to begin this fiscal year with tender applications
Japan wants to use the data storage technology behind bitcoin and similar virtual currencies to update how individuals and companies interact electronically with government, aiming to bolster information security while cutting administrative costs.
Read more: Japan looks to blockchains for more secure e-government systems
Japan’s national digital identity has only reached a third of its residents, a year after launch.
Out of 30 million cards, only 9.83 million have been distributed, according to Japan Times. One of the reasons for the delay was due to a series of computer glitches at the Japan Agency for Local Authority Information Systems, tasked with the production of the cards.
In an exclusive interview with FutureGov, Atsushi Shiota, Chief, Information Technology Promotion Department, General Affairs and Planning Bureau, City of Kitakyushu, Japan, revealed why his team created the country’s first geo-data portal last October.
Japanese passport holders and mid- to long-term foreign residents can already use automated gates with fingerprint readers if they register their fingerprints and other information. The Ministry of Justice website has been pushing for eligible people to use the gates by highlighting the ease with which users can get through immigration procedures by simply following the instructions on the screen at each booth, and that user registration can be completed on the day of a flight.
Read more: Japan to use facial recognition technology at automated airport immigration gates
Although the images are used mainly to prevent shoplifting, experts and industry bodies say it is necessary to make clear rules because providing people’s facial data to a third party could constitute an invasion of privacy.