Launch of Registry Network Plagued by Glitches.

(From Journal of Japanese Trade & Industry (JJTI))

Japan launched on Aug. 5 a nationwide resident registry network that encodes people's personal information and gives everyone an 11-digit number. Under the system, known as Juki Net, each municipality provides people's names, addresses, dates of birth, sex, individual numbers and records of changes to their information to a database run by the national government via prefectural governments.

The government says the network is intended to enhance administrative efficiency and the personal convenience of users. But Juki Net got off to a bad start, with six local governments with a total population of about 4 million refusing to log on to the network because of anxieties about the security of personal information. The six municipalities include Yokohama, the largest city in the nation in terms of population.

Minister of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Katayama Toranosuke says the government has taken full measures to protect security and privacy, and will strive to enhance precautionary measures to ease people's concerns. But his assurance failed to convince the opponents of the system, who claim in their protests to the ministry that Juki Net would infringe on people's privacy rights. They are seeking a legal injunction against the network.

The problem is that a bill on protecting private information, which is a precondition for the introduction of Juki Net, is still pending in the Diet. The legislation, originally intended to prevent the leakage of ...