Japan's health ministry has proposed raising the fee that health-data collectors pay to obtain the information needed to link records, from ¥70 to ¥82 for each block of up to 1,000 ID5 items provided. The change is in a draft amendment to a cabinet order, and the ministry plans to enforce it from 1 April 2027.
What the fee buys
Under the underlying law on promoting comprehensive regional medical and long-term care provision, a party that collects health and medical information can ask the DX review-and-payment bodies for the information needed to connect that data accurately. The draft calls that information ID5. To obtain it, the requester first gives the bodies the medical insurance insured-person numbers attached to the data. The bodies named in the draft are the medical information infrastructure and claims review and payment organisation and the National Health Insurance federations.
Why the ministry says the price should rise
Article 12(3) of the law leaves the fee to a cabinet order, set with actual costs in mind. Article 5 of the current order fixes it at ¥70 per block of up to 1,000 ID5 items. The ministry says that figure came from dividing the running costs of the history inquiry and response system, which delivers ID5, by the expected annual number of items requested.
The ministry gives two reasons for the review: higher operating costs for that system and higher personnel costs at the DX review-and-payment bodies. The overview does not give the cost totals or the usage assumption behind the new ¥82 figure.
Timetable and how to respond
The ministry's medical information infrastructure office opened the public comment period on 13 October 2026. Comments must arrive by 11 November 2026, according to the solicitation notice; the e-Gov listing shows the closing time as 0:00 on 12 November.
Comments must be in Japanese, with reasons, and can go through the e-Gov form, by email or by post. The ministry says it will not reply to individual comments and may publish them, apart from names and contact details.
Promulgation of the amended order is planned for late November 2026, ahead of the 1 April 2027 effective date. The overview presents both dates as plans.