Although the U.S. are limiting privacy more and more, and this Japanese system is certainly also a very likely invasion of privacy, there is a big difference to keep in mind.
The U.S. have a long tradition of privacy, to say the least. It is (was?) one of the fundamental values of this nation. In traditional Japanese culture privacy is an alien concept (just like "right"). Western people think of themselves as individuals in a society, wereas Japanees think in the first place of society and their duties towards it.
In this light it is easier to understand why there isn't a larger group of people having problems with this system. The people who *do* have a problem are most likely western oriented.
I sure do hope the U.S. or the E.U. (I am Dutch) will not use this system as an example.
Perhaps a Japanese reader who can tell something more about this?
Slashdot Mirror
Although the U.S. are limiting privacy more and more, and this Japanese system is certainly also a very likely invasion of privacy, there is a big difference to keep in mind. The U.S. have a long tradition of privacy, to say the least. It is (was?) one of the fundamental values of this nation. In traditional Japanese culture privacy is an alien concept (just like "right"). Western people think of themselves as individuals in a society, wereas Japanees think in the first place of society and their duties towards it. In this light it is easier to understand why there isn't a larger group of people having problems with this system. The people who *do* have a problem are most likely western oriented. I sure do hope the U.S. or the E.U. (I am Dutch) will not use this system as an example. Perhaps a Japanese reader who can tell something more about this?