The Digital Agency announced on October 26, 2026, that it has updated information on national qualifications for which procedures can now be completed online, adding doctors, dentists, pharmacists, public health nurses, midwives, nurses, those who have completed clinical training as doctors or dentists, and doctors certified for experience in physician-scarce areas ^[1]. For these medical-related qualifications, new license applications and new certification applications can now be submitted online ^[1]. This follows an earlier update on June 1, 2026, which added small and medium enterprise management consultants to the list, with online services covering registration, renewal, suspension, resumption, changes to registered details, deregistration and re-registration ^[1].

The agency's initiative stems from revisions to the Number Act (My Number law), which designated 130 national qualifications as subject to online and digital transformation ^[1]. Since August 6, 2024, government ministries overseeing these qualifications have progressively enabled online applications through Mynaportal, though paper-based procedures remain available and qualification holders can choose which method to use ^[1].

According to the Digital Agency, linking Mynaportal with the Basic Resident Register Network and the Information Provision Network allows qualification holders to omit certain attached documents, such as copies of residence certificates, when submitting applications, and to prove their qualifications digitally through the portal ^[1]. For government agencies, this is intended to improve efficiency in managing qualifications and ensure accuracy of qualification data ^[1]. Other benefits listed include online payment, checking application status, receiving notifications via Mynaportal, simplified procedures when holders change their name or address due to marriage or moving, and the ability to view and output qualification information in digital form with safeguards against forgery ^[1].

The agency also disclosed an ongoing technical issue: in some cases, when reviewing applications submitted through Mynaportal, officials have been unable to confirm an applicant's current registered domicile because family registry data could not identify it, particularly due to historical records predating the registry's computerization ^[1]. Applicants affected by this will be contacted by their qualification management organization and may need to resubmit with an attached family registry extract to continue the review process ^[1].

The full list of qualifications already online includes caregiving and social welfare workers, certified public psychologists, labor and social security attorneys, insurance physicians and pharmacists, tax accountants, various building and construction-related certifications, administrative scriveners, maritime officers, small craft operators, numerous labor safety licenses, and bar exam applicants, among others, each with differing scopes of online procedures as detailed by the agency ^[1].

Source credit 出典：「国家資格等のオンライン・デジタル化に係る現在手続が可能な資格の情報を更新しました」（デジタル庁）（https://www.digital.go.jp/policies/government-certification）、PDL1.0（https://www.digital.go.jp/resources/open_data/public_data_license_v1.0）を加工してJapan News (j.apan.news)が作成 This article is Japan News's own English summary of the Japanese original. It has been translated and edited by Japan News; it is not an official translation, and the Digital Agency did not write or review it.