Japanese public-works tenders generally require masking of the "insured symbol/number" and the "insurer number" on copies of health-insurance qualification certificates.
Rejections almost always come from manual work. A copy covered with sticky notes or correction tape can show the digits through, depending on the scanner's light. A PDF with a black rectangle laid on top of the text may look redacted on screen while the text layer underneath is still selectable. And the branch number and the 2-D code are small enough on paper that they are the last things anyone notices.
What to cover, and what to keep
| Document | Cover | Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification certificate (employee / national / late-elderly insurance) | Insurer number, symbol, number, branch number, 2-D code | Name, date of birth, address, expiry, employer name |
| Standard remuneration decision notice | Insured reference number | Name, employer name, period |
| Residence record | My Number, residence code (when the recipient does not ask for them) | Name, address, issuer |
Review is done on the name, the date of birth and the employer name. Covering the numbers and accidentally covering the fields the reviewer needs are two different mistakes, and the second one also gets your submission sent back.
Three steps
- Drag in the PDF or the photo.
- Choose "Purpose: tender attachment". The document type is detected and the fields to cover are decided for you; anything you want to keep can be switched back individually.
- Download. The output is flattened to an image, so no original text remains under the bars, and EXIF and annotations are stripped.
The 2-D code often carries the same information as the symbol and number. Redacting the digits and leaving the code defeats most of the point.
Where this comes from
The practice rests on the disclosure-request restriction in Article 194-2(1) of the Health Insurance Act and Article 111-2(1) of the National Health Insurance Act, in force since 1 October 2020. Asking for an insurer number or an insured symbol/number for purposes other than health-insurance business or related administration may be restricted.
Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "医療保険の被保険者等記号・番号等の告知要求制限について" https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_13989.html (Confirmed: 2026-10-25)
Masking requirements differ between contracting authorities, and some mask the copies themselves after receipt. If they ask only for the symbol and number, there is no need to cover anything else.
Always check the recipient's own instructions.
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