NEWS: Japan launches national IDs

Adam · Aug 5, 2002

Japan launches national IDs

By Reuters
August 5, 2002, 6:11 AM PT

Japan launched a compulsory ID system on Monday in the face of stiff protests calling it a violation of privacy and a temptation to hackers.
A group of academics and activists presented the Home Affairs Ministry with a petition demanding the government halt the program, which links municipal computer systems and gives each Japanese citizen an 11-digit identification number.

The group filed a court case at the end of last month, demanding the system be abolished because it is unconstitutional.

"We don't want to be under government surveillance. Stop the resident registry system,'' shouted a small band of protesters outside the ministry.

With one dressed up to look like a computer and another as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the demonstrators danced and put on a short sketch to illustrate their objections to the system.

The new database stores personal data--names, addresses, dates of birth, gender and the new ID numbers--for each of Japan's 126 million citizens, making it easier for them to obtain documents for a variety of public services and benefits.

But at least five cities are refusing to join the system, while Mayor Hiroshi Nakada of Yokohama, Japan's second-largest city, said Friday that residents will be allowed to choose whether to take part.

About 4 million of Japan's 127 million people live in cities that are refusing to introduce the system, according to media reports.

Opponents fear that something sinister is at work and that the new system gives authorities a tool to harass and silence critics.

"This system treats individuals as things, not people,'' Hirohisa Kitano, a legal expert and professor emeritus of Nihon University, said at a news conference.

Critics say the ID number could act as a key to an array of personal data stored at different locations, making it easier for hackers to create mischief.

The government says it has created a security system that can detect suspicious access to the database, but several cities have reported computer glitches.

"It's quite common to feel uneasy about something new. We want to keep explaining until such anxieties disappear," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said.

The United States has been debating for some time whether to implement a national identification system.

Story Copyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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Joeman · Aug 5, 2002

Another country uses national ID. big deal.

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Gifted · Aug 6, 2002

What do you think the Social Security system is?

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NEWS: Japan launches national IDs

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