{
  "id": 19288227,
  "title": "Amid questions over Japan’s cybersecurity, just how safe is the My Number system?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/amid-questions-over-japans-cybersecurity-just-how-safe-is-the-my",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-10T05:29:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Japan Times",
    "slug": "japan-times",
    "url": "https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/11/10/japan/my-number-security/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent data breaches exposing millions of personal records in Japan have raised concerns about the safety of the My Number system. This system assigns a 12-digit digital ID to residents, granting access to sensitive government information such as tax, pension, medical history, and family registry records via the My Number card. The Digital Agency claims the system's decentralized data storage across local governments and businesses makes it secure, as attackers would struggle to access vast amounts of personal data in a single breach, unlike centralized systems. The My Number system also adheres to an internationally recognized security standard.",
  "summary": "With over 80% of the population using My Number, concerns have emerged over the country's all-in-one card and the personal information stored in it.",
  "key_points": [
    "Recent data breaches exposed millions of personal records in Japan.",
    "My Number system assigns 12-digit digital ID to residents.",
    "System's decentralized data storage across local governments and businesses claimed secure."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Decentralized data storage serves as a structural defense against mass identity theft by preventing attackers from accessing large volumes of sensitive resident information through a single point of failure.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}