Japan has taken a significant step toward transforming the My Number Card into a full-scale mobile identity platform, authorizing private-sector companies to embed custom applications directly onto the card’s IC chip. Toshiba Digital Engineering Corporation has been named the first approved implementer under the program, with a formal notice issued by the Digital Agency on February 27, 2026.
Until now, the My Number Card has operated primarily as a government-issued identity document for administrative services. This expansion opens the card’s unused IC chip space to regulated commercial applications, effectively turning it into a shared identity platform that spans both public and private use cases.
Toshiba Digital Engineering’s initial application targets healthcare: it will handle verification of identification and certification of persons registered in a medical information database for regional medical care. The use case extends the card’s utility into clinical record management and health information workflows, where secure identity verification is essential.
The framework is built around strict regulatory controls. Each company seeking to install an application in the IC chip’s free space must receive a public notice designation from the Prime Minister and the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications. The Digital Agency’s My Number Card Private Sector Utilization Team oversees the authorization process. Use cases and data scope must be defined before installation, distinguishing this approach from more open app-platform models.
The move builds on Japan’s growing mobile identity infrastructure. The country made the My Number Card available in Apple Wallet last year, becoming the first country outside the United States to support that digital ID functionality. Android wallet integration is also planned for 2026. The IC chip expansion complements this trajectory by bringing government-issued identity credentials deeper into commercial workflows, not just consumer-facing mobile wallets.
The Digital Agency has indicated it will continue processing applications from additional private-sector implementers seeking chip-level access for approved purposes. For mobile identity observers, Japan’s model offers a case study in how a government digital ID can grow from public administration tool to multi-sector mobile credential platform while maintaining centralized authorization controls.
By the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
