A root-account management apparatus generates an electronic signature based on a survival condition and a secret key when an authentication result of a user of a client apparatus is proper, and transmits derived-account credence element information including the survival condition, the electronic signature and a public key certificate to a derived-account management apparatus. The derived-account management apparatus creates derived-account information which becomes valid when the survival condition is satisfied so that the derived-account information includes both the derived-account credence element information which becomes invalid when a validity term of the public key certificate expires and a biometric information template of the user which is valid regardless of this validity term. Accordingly, even if an authentication element as a root (public key certificate) becomes invalid, a derived authentication element (biometric information template) can be prevented from becoming invalid.