The health ministry on Dec. 2 discontinued traditional health insurance cards to integrate their functions into My Number Cards, the new identification cards that have not caught on with the public.

The Japanese government has stopped issuing new health insurance cards as of Monday. It recommends the use of Individual Number ("My Number" in Japanese) Cards instead for healthcare access.

Despite public criticism, the government still plans to abolish the current health insurance cards, in principle, by next fall and integrate them into the My Number identification cards ...