Bandai looking to introduce Japanese government ID checks for admission to card game events

Don’t have a My Number Card from the Japanese government? You might not be getting into some events for One Piece or other Bandai trading card games.

Recently, the Pokémon Company announced a new system that requires proof of identity through a Japanese government-issued ID card to purchase certain Pokémon Card Game items or participate in selected events. It turns out they’re not the only otaku-oriented company that likes the idea of having you verify your identity with the backing of the Japanese government, as Bandai has announced that it’s looking to introduce a similar requirement starting as early as next month.

The announcement was made through the official Twitter account of Bandai Card Games, the division of Bandai that manages collectible trading card games based on the One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto, Gundam, and Digimon franchises, as well as the anime crossover card game Union Arena.

“In order to provide equal opportunities and a safe, secure service to all customers, we are investigating the idea of introducing an ID verification system utilizing the My Number Card,” says the statement, referring to the combination ID/national pension/national health insurance card issued by the Japanese government.

In addition to the bearer’s name and photo, the My Number Card also lists their home address and date of birth. While that same information can be found on many forms of identification, the system that Bandai Card Games is describing would specifically require verification through the My Number Card, not an alternate class of ID such as a driver’s license or student ID card.

All residents of Japan aged 15 or older, including foreign residents, are eligible for a My Number Card, but that also means that any system which requires the card to be presented effectively locks out any tourists in Japan. In addition, not all residents have applied for a My Number Card, with many having concerns about privacy or the security of the government’s data handling/storage protocols.

The Bandai Card Games announcement doesn’t appear to offer much hope for those looking for an alternative, though, as is says “For those without a My Number Card, we recommend applying for one as soon as possible, as the process of issuing the card can take a certain amount of time.”

Bandai Card Games says that is progressing with preparations to have a My Number verification requirement in place sometime around September of this year. As for the extent of the requirement, right now the company is saying that it will be used for ID verification for admission to selected Bandai Card Games events, but also that is looking into applying the system for other purposes farther in the future, ostensibly requiring My Number Card verification for eligibility to purchase certain items. This would be in keeping with the recently increased efforts to discourage scalpers from bulk buying products for the purpose of reselling them at inflated prices, as the My Number Card would help identify and block individuals buying abnormally large quantities that are clearly beyond a reasonable amount for personal use.

All else equal, I think we can agree that most genuine fans of a game or series would be happy to see speculative scalpers’ money-grubbing schemes shut down. As for foreign tourists being shut out of certain events, many official card game competitions already have local residency as a registration requirement, and language differences mean that most overseas fans aren’t looking to buy cards in Japan since they’re printed in Japanese, making them hard to play with back in their home countries. However, much like with the Pokémon Company’s new policy, the unsettling part of Bandai introducing a My Number Card verification system is the possibility that it could expand its scope beyond trading card games to encompass other, non-card game items in its vast anime merchandising empire, though thankfully that hasn’t come to pass yet.