Patent ID: 7533807

Claim:
An identification medium issuing apparatus comprising: a private information acquisition unit which acquires private information to specify an applicant who makes application for issuance of an identification medium; an identification information reading unit which reads identification information from an unused identification medium having a printing surface and an IC chip; an electronic signature preparation unit which prepares an electronic signature using the private information and the identification information; a printing unit which prints the private information and the identification information on the printing surface of the identification medium; a history storage unit which stores printing history in the printing unit; and a recording unit which reads the identification information from the identification medium on whose printing surface the information has been printed by the printing unit and which reads the printing history with respect to the identification medium from the history storage unit based on the identification information and which reads the electronic signature of the identification medium from the electronic signature preparation unit and which records, in the IC chip of the identification medium, the private information and the identification information based on the printing history together with the electronic signature.