It means an additional search through your wallet before cracking open a cold beer from the liquor vending machines most of us take for granted. But rest assured, it's for a good cause.
A growing number of the machines, criticized for years as abetting underage drinking, are being fitted with ID readers to curb alcohol abuse by minors. For those who do not have a driver's license, stores can issue a card with a magnetic strip upon confirmation of age.
While gauging reaction to the new system, a man in his 50s was spotted fishing out his liquor card and almost unconsciously inserting it into the vending machine in front of a store in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward.