Is My Number Card required to use Honne?

No. My Number Card (JPKI) is the strongest verification path, but document plus liveness checks are accepted for residents without a card — including foreign residents.

What is the difference between identity verification and age verification?

Japan's Internet Dating Site Regulation Act only requires an age check. Identity verification confirms who a person actually is — it is a far stronger trust signal, and it is what Honne does before anyone can contact you.

Why do men verify more than women?

Men are fully identity-verified before any woman sees them; women verify lightly to browse and fully to message. Asymmetric verification is what makes the scarce side safe.

What data is read, and what do you keep?

Verification reads only what is needed to confirm identity (such as the four basic items from My Number Card: name, address, date of birth, gender). Your card password is never stored, and biometric matching runs only at messaging-unlock.

Trust

How identity verification works on Honne

By Honne Trust & Safety · updated 2026-06-22

On Honne, verification isn’t a checkbox — it’s the product. Every member is an identity-confirmed, residing person, men are fully verified before any woman sees them, and the expensive biometric step runs only when you’re ready to message — never just to look around.

Identity verification vs age verification — why the difference matters

In Japan, the Internet Dating Site Regulation Act (出会い系サイト規制法) only requires an age check. That confirms someone is over 18; it does not confirm who they are. Identity verification (本人確認) confirms the actual person — a much stronger trust signal, and the reason “everyone here is real” is actually true on Honne.

How verification actually works

Document verification. A government ID (運転免許証 / passport / My Number Card) is read and checked for tampering.
Liveness detection (生体検知). A real-time selfie check confirms a live person — not a photo, screen, or deepfake.
Biometric / selfie match. The live face is matched to the ID. This is the expensive step, gated to messaging-unlock for cost control.
Database checks. For My Number Card, a revocation check via J-LIS confirms the certificate is still valid.

My Number Card (JPKI) verification, step by step

Following the 2025 agreement between Japan’s Digital Agency and the dating-app industry association, My Number Card is now the gold-standard eKYC path:

Tap your My Number Card to your phone (NFC).
The signature electronic certificate (署名用電子証明書) is read via 公的個人認証 (JPKI).
A J-LIS check confirms the certificate hasn’t been revoked.
The four basic items (氏名・住所・生年月日・性別) are confirmed — and you get a verified badge. Your card password is never stored.

What verification prevents

Confirming identity before contact strips away the anonymity that catfishing, AI/deepfake profiles, bots, and romance scams depend on. The National Police Agency recorded roughly ¥1,141 億 in romance-scam losses across 10,237 cases in 2024, with a large share beginning on matching apps. See how to spot a romance scammer for the prevention playbook.

Your privacy — what we read and what we never keep

Verification reads only what’s needed to confirm identity. We never store your My Number Card password, and biometric matching fires only at messaging-unlock — not while you browse.

Frequently asked questions

Is My Number Card required to use Honne?: No. My Number Card (JPKI) is the strongest verification path, but document plus liveness checks are accepted for residents without a card — including foreign residents.
What is the difference between identity verification and age verification?: Japan's Internet Dating Site Regulation Act only requires an age check. Identity verification confirms who a person actually is — it is a far stronger trust signal, and it is what Honne does before anyone can contact you.
Why do men verify more than women?: Men are fully identity-verified before any woman sees them; women verify lightly to browse and fully to message. Asymmetric verification is what makes the scarce side safe.
What data is read, and what do you keep?: Verification reads only what is needed to confirm identity (such as the four basic items from My Number Card: name, address, date of birth, gender). Your card password is never stored, and biometric matching runs only at messaging-unlock.

See the women-first safety controls →

Source: Digital Agency (デジタル庁), honne.dating editorial. Educational information only.