Apple is adding support to scan Japanese ID Cards via NFC in iOS 13

Apple is expanding its NFC capabilities in iOS 13 which will allow iPhone users to scan a wider variety of NFC tags, including Japan’s national identity cards.

These cards were introduced back in 2015 known as the ‘Individual Number Cards’.

The card contains an NFC tag that can be read by a new government-developed app in order to store personal information on the device. Certain Android phones already support this, but the overwhelming popularity of the iPhone in Japan and the broad adoption rates enjoyed by new versions of iOS mean that it’s likely to see a lot more take-up.

The Verge reports that the ID cards will be one of the first third-party uses authorized by Apple.

iPhones running iOS 13 will be able to scan a wider variety of NFC tags, including those commonly found in official documentation, and one of the first examples will be Japan’s national identity cards.

The cards, confusingly called “My Number” in Japanese but “Individual Number Cards” in English, were introduced alongside a numerical ID system in 2015. All residents of Japan are issued a number on paper that’s used for various administrative purposes such as filing taxes, though it’s not mandatory to hold the card itself.

The card contains an NFC tag that can be read by a new government-developed app in order to store personal information on the device. Certain Android phones already support this, but the overwhelming popularity of the iPhone in Japan and the broad adoption rates enjoyed by new versions of iOS mean that it’s likely to see a lot more take-up.

The Japanese Government has also confirmed this on twitter,

やっと解禁になりましたか。という訳でiPhoneでもマイナンバーカードを読み取れる方向で準備を進めています。ずっと永田町や評論家の方々からお叱りを受けてましたが、ようやく機が熟しました / “確定申告、iPhoneで楽に　マイナンバーカード読み取り　　:日本経済新聞” https://t.co/Bz0jCEFshA

”” 楠 正憲 (@masanork) June 11, 2019

Source: The Verge