Japanese state advertises unpopular identity card with anime Turkish fighter jets again fly over inhabited Greek islands

“My number” – that’s what the identity card is called in Japan. The electronic chip card has an individual 12-digit citizen service number and contains data such as name, address, date of birth, gender and a photo.

The numbering system, launched in 2016, aims to make public administration more efficient, but the card is not very popular. Halfway through this month, just under 64 percent of the rightful claimants had an identity card. The state was actually hoping for 100 percent by March. However, younger people in particular are hesitant and wonder if it is safe to store personal information in one place.

To convince them, the government is using YouTubers and now the very popular anime series “Spy x Family” based on Tatsuya Endo’s manga to advertise ID cards. On the video platform YouTube, the competent digital authority recently showed one-minute clips with heroes from the series, which is about a spy and his unusual family and is a commercial success in Japan.

The short videos are intended to explain the application process and security measures for the “My Number” card, as reported by the newspaper “Mainichi Shimbun”. For a long time, the high-tech country of Japan lagged behind other countries when it came to digitization, but is now pushing it forward with priority. (aeg/sda/dpa)