The Japanese government will no longer issue health insurance cards from Monday, instead integrating them with My Number cards.

The health ministry said people with current health insurance cards that have not yet expired will still be able to use them until Dec 1, 2025.

Registration procedures are required to use a My Number card as a health insurance card. These procedures can be completed on the government's online website, My Number Portal, through card readers at hospitals, clinics and and pharmacies, as well at Seven Bank ATMs at convenience stores.

If your My Number card has expired, you will need to apply for a new one at your ward office.

The My Number card, which has a 12-digit number for each individual, links together various personal data, such as taxes and social security information, and from next March, driver's license information.

The integrated cards allow medical institutions to view the cardholder's data, including medication prescription records and health checkups, and offer patients appropriate treatment options.

When you use your My Number card integrated with health insurance data, you scan it using a card reader at a medical institution, with their identity verified by entering a four-digit code or through facial recognition.

First introduced in 2016, the My Number ID system has been unpopular among the public following revelations of personal information leaks and registration errors.