My number 20,000 yen point campaign application deadline extended

The application deadline for a My Number card in order to qualify for Japan’s Mynapoint campaign, through which My Number card holders can get up to 20,000 yen in points, has been extended, according to campaign organizers.

[UPDATED: March 31. 2023]  The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced Friday (March 31) that it will extend the point application deadline from the end of May to the end of September.

Related: MYNAPOINT 20000 YEN campaign extended! What next for Japan's MY NUMBER CARD?

The original deadline for submissions of My Number card applications for Mynapoint campaign had been the end of September.  

With the government looking to use the my number 20,000 yen point campaign to increase the number of holders of the controversial individual tax and social security number identification card, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications announced the extension earlier in September.

The deadline extension will accompany an increase in efforts from October to promote the use of the cards and make application procedures more accessible.

October will also see the introduction of the “municipal mynapoint model project,” through which My Number card holders will be able to receive points by using their card to apply for locally administered services related to childcare and healthcare, among others.

As of the end of August, around 59.7 million Japan residents were in possession of a My Number card, out of the country’s population of around 125.9 million. Currently, authorities across Japan are receiving more than 210,000 My Number card applications a day, according to the communications ministry. 

“The number of applications is increasing at a very high pace, more than nine times per day compared to the number of applications before the implementation of the second phase of the Mynapoint campaign. We believe that this is effective in promoting the use of the card,” Minoru Terada, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications told reporters on September 20. 

Currently, the most widely used form of photo identification in Japan is the driver's license, held by over 81 million residents, according to Terada, who used this figure as a target for My Number card applications.  

“Since the My Number card is key to digitalized personal identification, we will do our utmost to promote its widespread use and to encourage applications,” he said.

News of the revised December deadline appears to have been slow to spread. Municipal departments handling My Number card applications have reported crowded waiting rooms and waiting times of over two hours as residents have rushed to submit applications before what they had thought to be an end of September deadline. 

In a further challenge to Mynapoint organizers, it was discovered in September that mistakes made at municipal level in processing card holders’ requests for points had led to requests being duplicated. Single applicants, in some cases, had been credited with points totaling three times the correct amount.

“The fact that duplicated applications were processed suggests that the municipalities may not have handled the paperwork properly,” communications minister Terada told reporters on September 16.

“We have already issued a notice regarding appropriate paperwork. On the 14th we conducted another inspection to ensure that multiple applications and other inappropriate paperwork were not being handled” he said.

My number 20,000 yen point campaign, overview

For a full rundown of how to get 20,000 yen in my number points through a My Number card: 

The second phase of Japan’s Mynapoint campaign began on June 30, 2022. Through the updated campaign My Number card holders can get up to 20,000 yen in my number points, or “mynapoints,” to use for cashless shopping. 

In order to get the maximum 20,000 my number points, campaign participants must first be in possession of a My Number card or apply for one by the revised deadline - the end of December 2022.

5,000 my number points can be acquired by connecting a My Number card to a cashless payment service. Using this cashless payment service card holders can get 25 percent back from purchases totaling up to 20,000 yen in the form of mynapoints

7,500 my number points can be obtained by registering to use a My Number card as a health insurance card in a system commonly known as “myna insurance.”

A further 7,500 my number points, to make a total of 20,000 points, can be obtained by registering bank account details to a My Number card in order to simplify the process of applying for state or municipal financial support and benefits, as needed. 

At the time of writing, registration to receive my number points is open through February 2023.

Related:

How to get 20,000 yen from Japan’s My Number card, 2nd Mynapoint campaign 

My Number card in Japan, assessing the benefits of the Individual Number ID