Gender to Be Removed from Japan’s Individual Number Card; Govt Aims to Introduce New Card in 2026

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:31 JST, March 20, 2024

A person’s gender will not be printed on the new Individual Number Card, also known as the My Number Card, that the Digital Agency aims to introduce in 2026.

The agency revealed the design of the new card, which shows an individual’s name in kanji and katakana characters. Names are also spelled out using the alphabet. The letters are larger than the current design, and Mt. Fuji is depicted on the front.

“We’ll continue to study [the design] to make it easier to use,” said Taro Kono, the minister in charge of digital transformation, adding that the design was still not finalized.

A government working group decided in its final report that a person’s name, date of birth, address and photo will continue to be shown on the card, but their gender will be omitted out of consideration for sexual minorities.

The government has submitted a draft amendment for the relevant laws and regulations to the current Diet session.