City Of Tsukuba In Japan Introduces Online Voting System Via Blockchain

Japan seems to be on par with the rise of the blockchain. One proof of that is a recent announcement in which the government of the Japanese city of Tsukuba officially introduced the deployment of an online voting system powered by blockchain.

The system will enable residents to vote for social development programs and will use Japan’s “My Number” system which is basically a 12-digit social security identifier that is afforded to all Japanese residents. Knowing that Japan is among the leaders in terms of worldwide population, the density of the population in Tsukuba will finally get a system that allows them to vote securely and without obstructions.

First reported by the Japan Times, the new announcement has been already put to use for the city’s residents on local social development programs. In the test trial, voters were asked to place their My Number cards on a card reader right before casting their votes.

The role of the blockchain here focuses on the decentralized ledger, which records all of the votes and makes them immune from tampering, as the report notes. Even though he was skeptical in the beginning, the Mayor of the city of Tsukuba now seems confident about this system, and recently stated:

“I had thought it would involve more complicated procedures but I found that it’s minimal and easy.”

However, several voters forgot their passwords which left them unable to cast a vote. This is a challenge that needs to be addressed in the future. Anyways, the city of Tsukuba in Japan is definitely making a leap forward with its blockchain-centric agenda and the numerous scientific researches that prove the city’s interest in the deployment of new technologies.