Re: Debito Arudou's May 19 Zeit Gist column "IC you: bugging the alien" on the proposed new IC-chipped alien registration cards:
What a Doomsday picture Debito painted! However, given Japanese society's penchant for treating those from outside with a great deal of suspicion, I find myself unable to shake off the feeling that all those predictions could come to pass!
It is worth noting that this IC card for foreigners is not unique to the Japanese. In my own home country, the U.K. government wants to introduce chipped ID cards for everyone, not just immigrants. Though it is up against some tough opposition, it has already introduced cards for immigrants that carry a photo, fingerprints, visa details, place of work, home address, criminal record, etc. — all similar details that the Japanese want to include on the new gaijin cards.