Learn in the textbookOnline Government Procedures, the Number System, and Disaster-Prevention Information
DefinitionMy Number (マイナンバー) is the 12-digit Individual Number (個人番号) assigned to each person who has a resident record.
ExplanationThe municipal mayor assigns the number and notifies the person, and it is used to link accurately the information several government agencies hold about the same person. This aims to streamline administrative procedures and make benefits and burdens fair. The tasks for which My Number may be used are set out in the My Number Act (the Act on the Use of Numbers to Identify a Specific Individual in Administrative Procedures).
AnalogySeveral government counters each keep your papers, yet a shared reference number lets them match up the papers that belong to the same person.
Memory hook"My Number" is a nickname; the formal legal name is "Individual Number."