The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is releasing a redesigned version of its official Tokyo App, aimed at making the service clearer to read and simpler to operate, according to 都庁総合ホームページ. The announcement was published on Friday, 23 October 2026. Alongside the refresh, the government said it is opening proxy applications for its Tokyo App Livelihood Support Program, a scheme that delivers 11,000 Tokyo Points to residents who verify their identity with a My Number Card.
The app is the metropolitan government's official channel for connecting residents with administrative services through their phones. Officials describe the goal as giving each resident the sense that dealing with local government has become more convenient through digital tools.
Why it matters
The redesign and the proxy scheme address two different barriers at once. The first is usability: an app that is hard to read or navigate discourages the very people it is meant to serve. The second is access. Residents living with disabilities or dementia, and others who find smartphone operation difficult on their own, have effectively been shut out of a program that requires app-based steps and identity verification. The proxy route is designed to bring those residents into the system rather than leave them dependent on someone else's account.
The metropolitan government frames the app as a single point of contact for residents, and as a platform intended to eventually carry content from both the metropolitan government and the ward and municipal levels. That ambition makes the quality of the interface a matter of practical importance, not just presentation.
Proxy applications and how the points arrive
Under the new arrangement, a person who cannot operate a smartphone independently can have someone else apply on their behalf for the Livelihood Support Program. According to 都庁総合ホームページ, the representative must first register as a proxy with the ability to view and operate the Tokyo App, and then submit the application.
Submitted documents are screened. Once the review is complete, an account is created for the person on whose behalf the application was made, and the 11,000 Tokyo Points from the proxy application are credited to that account. The government said it will announce separately when those credited points can be used.
The Livelihood Support Program itself is described by the metropolitan government as a way to widen use of the Tokyo App while responding to changing social conditions, including recent rises in prices. It is intended to deliver the 11,000 Tokyo Points quickly and efficiently to people who have completed identity verification with a My Number Card. Participation steps are set out in the app's getting-started guide and participation instructions.
A renamed contact center and a settings check
The refresh comes with an administrative change: the Tokyo App call center is being renamed the Tokyo App Contact Center to coincide with the renewal.
The government also published a short set of steps for users to confirm the email address registered to their account. Inside the app, users select Account in the lower right of the screen, then Various Settings, then Email Address Settings, and the registered address appears on the settings screen.
Officials are also inviting suggestions. Users can submit ideas and feedback on features they would find useful through a survey listed on the app's top page under the survey section, titled "Opinions about the Tokyo App."
What to watch
The government has not yet given a date for when the proxy-applied points can be spent, saying only that it will provide that information later. Residents who need assistance, and the relatives or helpers who might act for them, will want to watch the official app website's notices section for the proxy registration requirements and the timing of point availability.
