August 14, 2026, 8:29 a.m. (JST)
[Japan] NTT Docomo (Docomo, Tokyo, Japan) announced that, starting August 20, 2026, it will gradually introduce an identity verification method that utilizes the IC chips embedded in identification documents—such as My Number Cards and driver’s licenses—for certain identity verification procedures when handling mobile phone services at Docomo Shops and authorized Docomo retailers nationwide.
Under this system, identity verification will be conducted using electronic information stored on the IC chips of documents such as My Number Cards and driver’s licenses. This will strengthen measures to prevent fraudulent contracts resulting from the use of counterfeit identification documents or identity theft.Furthermore, by automatically transferring information such as names and addresses—read from the IC chips—to the contract system, the method will improve the accuracy of various procedures while making them more efficient and faster.
This system supports both the JPKI (Public Personal Authentication Service), which utilizes the electronic certificates on My Number Cards, and eKYC-IC, which uses the system to verify the user’s appearance against the facial photo data stored on the IC chip of documents such as driver’s licenses.
When using My Number Card JPKI or eKYC-IC JPKI, a digital certificate password for signing (6 to 16 characters) is required. When using eKYC-IC, facial authentication is performed using the facial photo data stored on the C chip and a photo of the customer taken on the spot.
For driver’s licenses, the system reads the information from the IC chip using the eKYC-IC PIN (two sets of 4 digits) and performs facial authentication using the facial photo data stored on the IC chip and a photo of the user taken on the spot.
For Residence Cards and Special Permanent Resident Certificates, facial authentication is performed using the facial photo data stored on the eKYC-IC chip and a photo of the user taken on the spot. Additionally, support for identity verification using My Number Cards on iPhones is scheduled to be implemented during fiscal year 2026. (paymentnavi Editorial Team)
