Japan's Digital Agency announced on October 2, 2026 that its "My Number Card on Android" service will start on October 20. Android users will be able to store the identity functions of Japan's national ID card in Google Wallet and prove their name, address and date of birth at shops and service counters, which iPhone users have been able to do since June 2025. Companies that check identity or age in Japan, onboard employees or issue company phones should decide now how they will handle it.

Key points

  • The launch is planned for October 20, 2026. The Digital Agency says the date may change if final testing requires more checks, and it will publish the list of compatible models by October 20.
  • The new "attribute certification" function sends the holder's name, address, date of birth and similar details from the phone and proves they are genuine. It is meant first for in-person identity and age checks.
  • Each person can put the card on only one phone, counting iPhone and Android together. Adding it to a new device removes it from the old one.
  • Businesses need a way to read it. The Digital Agency offers a free in-person verification app. Online identity checks with the Android version are not yet available.

What the My Number Card is, and why this reaches foreign companies

My Number is a 12-digit number assigned to everyone who has a resident record in Japan, so it can include both local and expatriate staff at your Japanese entity. The My Number Card is the physical card linked to that number. Its electronic certificates already let holders log in to the government's Mynaportal site, file tax returns, get certificates at convenience stores and use the card as a health insurance card.

Android phones have carried those electronic certificates since May 11, 2023. What changes on October 20 is the addition of identity attributes, so the phone can stand in for the card when someone needs to prove who they are or how old they are. Using it is optional for holders, and there is no penalty for not using it.

For businesses, the change is practical rather than legal. Customers and employees will start offering a phone instead of a card at bank branches, mobile phone shops, real estate offices, bars, ticket counters and HR desks. Staff need to know whether to accept it and how to read it. The Digital Agency says acceptance is up to each shop or counter.