CICC TOKYO DAYORI vol.95

In daily life in Japan, identity verification is required in various
situations such as payment, point allocation, member confirmation,
check-in, entrance and exit, etc.
I also use the service using an IC card, smartphone, etc., but every
time I use it, I have to go through the trouble of searching for the app.
It's such a waste of time and a pain for me. There is also the risk of
losing my card or smartphone if I carry it around. I believe there is
a growing desire to use services more safely and easily. It also takes
a lot of work on the part of the store to check.
Meanwhile, Hitachi Ltd., one of Japan's leading electronics manufacturers,
is proposing a common digital identity platform that utilizes biometric
authentication.
According to their plan, they aims to create a world where people can
use all kinds of services more easily and safely on their own every day.
User information such as name and date of birth, credit card information,
various point card IDs, company campaign IDs, etc. are registered on a
common cross-industry platform, and the registered information and finger
veins or face are registered. By linking biometric information such as,
when using various services, it will be possible to perform one-stop identity
verification, payment, point award, etc. using only biometric authentication.
As you know, DIGITAL IDENTITY is a general term for electronic identity
information such as personal certificate information and attribute
information. For example, personal information such as name, address, age,
gender, payment information, official certificate, points, membership
information, etc. As readers are aware, this is information that is
associated with oneself when receiving services digitally, and information
that indicates an individual's attributes in the digital space.
According to Hitachi, by using this platform and biometric authentication,
users can safely receive a variety of services without having to carry a
card, and easily without having to present an app or membership card.
Additionally, companies providing services will be able to run smarter
business operations by preventing unauthorized use of membership cards by
lending and borrowing them, and by accurately and easily verifying users'
identities.

If we can verify our identity using only our finger or face authentication
without holding anything and be able to perform various processes, we can
expect to save labor in all situations, not only strengthen security, but
also be useful in situations where the shortage of people is accelerating.
It will also have an overwhelming effect on improving business efficiency.
This is a measure to combat the declining birthrate, which is currently in a
critical phase in Japan. The government is promoting policies that it calls
"another dimension." It goes without saying that all of these are important
child-rearing support policies.
At the same time, the public and private sectors should work together to
realize DX in line with lifestyles in a society with a declining birthrate.
In the past, Sony's Walkman, and more recently, smartphones have
dramatically changed our lives. It will be interesting to see whether
biometric authentication will be able to revolutionize our lives next.

Hirokazu Morita(Mr.)

<Topics of Government>

(1)Launch of AI Safety Institute
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0214_001.html

(2)IoT Product Security Conformity Assessment Scheme Policy Draft
https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2024/0315_001.html

<Topics of Industries>

(1)Japanese joint research group win Prime Minister’s Award with ultra
high-performance computing platform using jointly developed 64-qubit
quantum computer
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2024/0315-01.html

(2)Fujitsu and Tokai National Higher Education and Research System
collaborate on AI-based space weather research
https://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/2024/0314-01.html

(3)Hitachi Forges a Three Year Strategic Alliance with AWS to Advance
Hybrid Cloud Solutions
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2024/03/240311.html

(4)Hitachi Collaborates with NVIDIA to Accelerate Digital Transformation
with Generative AI
https://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/month/2024/03/240319.html

(5)NEC develops marketing strategy planning & effectiveness simulation
technology using generative AI
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202403/global_20240325_02.html

(6)NEC and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance establish Japan Consortium for
Adaptation Finance
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202403/global_20240315_01.html

(7)NEC Face Recognition Technology Ranks First in NIST Accuracy Testing
https://www.nec.com/en/press/202402/global_20240208_01.html