The Diet passed the "common number" bill May 24, paving the way for every resident, including foreigners, to be assigned a personal identification number.
Holders of the "my number" IDs will be notified around fall 2015 and they will take effect starting in January 2016.
The system will establish a network across various administrative bodies to integrate people's financial information pertaining to taxes, pensions and medical benefits. The government says this system will streamline administrative procedures and also to make it easier for public offices to detect errors and fraud.
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