Tokyo: The Japanese government plans to review the validity period now set at one year for the so-called eligibility certificates to be issued as an alternative to current health insurance cards, government sources have said.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to announce the review plan as early as next week, the sources said Friday.

The government has explained that people will have to apply for renewal to continue using the eligibility certificates after their expiration.

The government plans to abolish health insurance cards in autumn 2024 after integrating them into My Number personal identification cards.

After the abolition, an eligibility certificate will be issued to those who do not have an integrated My Number card so that they will be able to keep receiving medical services covered by health insurance by presenting the certificate at medical facilities.

Some members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party demanded that the government delay the abolition of health insurance cards after worries spread among the public due to a series of mix-up problems involving the My Number system, including cases where some My Number identification numbers were wrongly linked with the bank accounts of other people.

Under such circumstances, the government came to believe that the certificates need to be made more user-friendly by reviewing the validity period, according to the sources.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Kishida said he intends to carefully consider the government’s responses regarding the planned shift to integrated My Number cards. The prime minister said he will announce his decision sooner or later by holding a press conference or in another way.

“We’ll continue to provide explanations carefully to address public concerns,” Kishida said.

On Friday, Kishida visited an elderly care center in Tokyo and exchanged opinions on the planned abolition of health insurance cards with medical workers. “Opinions of people at the frontline should be valued,” he told reporters.

JIJI Press