Despite being trumpeted as ushering in a more efficient, egalitarian society, the controversial My Number system that starts with identification numbers being sent out to residents of Japan this week is raising serious concerns about invasions of privacy and the security of personal information.
These are not the only concerns, however. Others decry the heavy burden the project will put on businesses that will be tasked with collecting the identification numbers of employees and part-time workers — not to mention their family dependents.
Add to this the ruckus over how exactly a tax rebate proposal under the system will work, fears about photo-ID cards being lost, and question marks over whether municipalities are capable of handling the expected number of applications.