The Japanese government plans to abolish health insurance cards in the fall of 2024 by integrating them into "My Number" ID cards.

Digital Transformation Minister Kono Taro made the announcement on Thursday after a discussion with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, health minister Kato Katsunobu and internal affairs minister Terada Minoru.

Kono said My Number cards will serve as something like a passport to the creation of a new digital society.

The government is considering what steps to take regarding citizens who do not obtain My Number cards by the time health insurance cards are abolished, other than to continue to urge them to apply for one.

Kono added the government will move up its initial targeted date of March 2025 for combining driver's license functions with My Number cards.

The government aims for almost all citizens to obtain My Number cards by the end of March next year. But only 56 percent had applied for a card as of Tuesday.