MATSUSAKA, Mie — The local administration in this region declared on June 1 that it erroneously issued a “My Number” identification card featuring a picture of an elderly man who was not the intended recipient.
When enrolling the man’s photo, the officials failed to cross-check his name and date of birth, leading to confusion with another individual photographed on the same day.
As per the Matsusaka Municipal Government, the man and his spouse visited the application counter for the My Number card on Feb. 3. During the process, an employee noticed that the wife’s picture had been mistakenly associated with the man’s data. In response, they promptly captured the man’s headshot using a digital camera. The photo data was then imported and stored in the city’s computer system.
However, on Feb. 16, when the option to re-register My Number data became available through the system, a city representative unintentionally overlooked the fact that the memory card containing the man’s photo had suffered damage, resulting in the loss of data. Consequently, they registered an alternative person’s picture without verifying the man’s true identity.
Upon receiving his My Number card via mail on March 23, the man discovered the error and reported it to the municipal government six days later. The city authorities promptly arranged for a new picture to be taken, reapplying for the card, and extending their sincere apologies. Finally, on May 8, the man received a corrected card bearing the accurate photo.
The city acknowledged that multiple factors contributed to this oversight, including the failure to authenticate the applicant’s photo, name, and date of birth, as outlined in the data registration manual.
Expressing regret for the blunder, Matsusaka Mayor Masato Takegami issued a statement, vowing to implement preventive measures to avert such errors in the future.
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