Introduction
The main reason dating sites and matchmaking services in Japan ask users to submit ID is that they are legally required to verify users’ ages. Dating apps focused more on serious relationships or marriage may also require ID for identity verification.
If the ID is being submitted only for age verification, personal information such as your name and address can usually be covered or blacked out. However, when the app requires identity verification, its rules generally do not allow you to hide details such as your name, address, or photo.
This article mainly explains ID submission for age verification—the type where personal information can be partially blacked out.
How to Submit Your ID
ID is usually submitted through the website or as an email attachment. Even if it’s a bit of a hassle, make sure to cover personal information such as your name, address, and photo with a digital stamp, marker, or other editing tool before submitting it.
In 2018, the major Japanese dating app Omiai experienced a large-scale leak of personal information. No matter how large or small a service is, the risk of a data breach is never zero. In fact, larger services may be more attractive targets for hackers.
https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/2108/12/news139.html
If your submitted ID does not contain unnecessary personal information, there is much less to worry about even in the unlikely event of a data leak.
For age verification, the information that must remain visible under Japanese law is:
- Your age or date of birth
- The name/type of the identification document
- The name of the issuing authority
When verifying age using documentation (Article 5, Paragraph 1, Item 1 of the Regulations):
For a driver’s license, health insurance card, or other document that verifies a person’s age or date of birth, the operator must receive presentation of the document, a copy, or an image showing the following:
a. Age or date of birth
b. Name/type of the document
c. Name of the authority that issued the documenthttps://www.police.pref.osaka.lg.jp/tetsuduki/ninkyoka/2/4964.html
Documents such as a health insurance card, driver’s license, or passport are generally acceptable as long as they show your date of birth.
Legally, employee ID cards and student ID cards may also be accepted for age verification. However, because the name of the company or school may need to remain visible, they are not recommended if you are concerned about being personally identified.
There is also no legal requirement to retain age-verification documents. For this reason, services that collect ID solely for age verification will often delete the submitted data once the verification process is complete. Keeping the files would only take up storage space and create additional responsibilities for handling personal information.
On the other hand, services that require documents for identity verification rather than age verification may retain the data internally, as was the case with Omiai.
Why Is Age Verification Required?
Age verification is required under Japan’s law regulating online dating services. Websites that fall under the legal definition of an online dating service must verify that users are at least 18 years old, either by checking an identification document or through a credit card payment.
Credit cards in Japan are generally only available to people aged 18 or older, so being able to make a credit card payment can be used as a way to confirm that the user is at least 18.
About Japan’s Online Dating Site Regulation Law
The official name of the law is the Act on Regulation of Soliciting Children through Internet Dating Services and Other Related Matters.
https://www.npa.go.jp/policy_area/no_cp/index.html
The law was introduced mainly to protect minors from risks associated with online dating services.
In the past, Japan saw a rise in cases involving minors being sexually exploited or victimized through online dating sites. One well-known example at the time was a dating site called Star Beach. As these incidents became a serious social issue, stricter rules were introduced, including mandatory age verification for services covered by the law.
This is why dating sites and similar services in Japan may ask users to prove that they are at least 18 years old before they can use certain features.
What Counts as an Online Dating Site or App?
According to the Japanese National Police Agency’s guidelines on the definition of an “Internet Dating Service,” a website or app falls under this category if it meets all of the following conditions:
- It provides a service that allows people seeking relationships with members of the opposite sex whom they have not previously met to post information about themselves on an online bulletin board or similar platform.
- That information can be viewed by the public.
- Users who view the posted information can contact the person who posted it directly through email or similar means.
- The service is provided on an ongoing basis, whether free of charge or for a fee.
For example, some matchmaking or marriage consultation services allow users to view other members’ profiles online. However, they may not fall under the legal definition of an online dating service if they do not meet all of the conditions above.
The National Police Agency gives examples such as:
Marriage consultation services where customer profiles are not made available for an unspecified or large number of people to view, or where users cannot immediately contact another member one-on-one by email or similar means after viewing their profile.
In other words, simply allowing users to view profiles online does not automatically make a service an “Internet Dating Service” under Japanese law.
How Age Verification Works at Orgasm Life
Orgasm Life has also been registered with the authorities as an Internet Dating Service in Japan, so age verification is carried out using the following process.
◆ Age Verification Process
Examples: driver’s license, passport, health insurance card, etc.
Please make sure the document type, your date of birth, and the name of the issuing authority remain visible.
The submitted image will be deleted after age verification, so you do not need to edit it if you are comfortable submitting it as is.
If you do not receive the automatic email, please check that you entered your email address correctly and that emails from our domain are not being blocked or sent to your spam folder. After checking, please submit the form again.
Summary
I hope this article has helped explain why age verification is required and how the process works.
Orgasm Life offers free sensual oil massage and sexual wellness sessions for women. If you are interested, I would be happy to hear from you.
