Several hundred e-mail messages have been sent to Yamatsuri, Fukushima Prefecture, expressing support for the municipality's decision not to join a controversial nationwide registry network of citizens, according to town officials.
The farming town with a population of 7,000 announced its decision July 22, making headlines as the nation's first municipality to refuse to be involved.
Mayor Ryoichi Nemoto said the system, scheduled to be introduced Aug. 5, could violate residents' privacy if adequate protection is not enacted.
About 300 messages had been e-mailed to the municipal office as of Tuesday, with 16 people saying they want to move to the town to protect their privacy, according to municipal officials.
The town is located near the border between Fukushima and Ibaraki prefectures.
The officials said they were surprised to learn that people from as far away as Kagawa and Gifu prefectures have expressed a desire to move to Yamatsuri.
Toranosuke Katayama, minister of public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications, on Tuesday urged mayors of big cities to not oppose the introduction of the system.
In a meeting with the mayors of 12 cities with populations of more than 1 million, Katayama said the government has taken the utmost technical, legal and administrative measures to ensure the system operates smoothly.
Many of the mayors still expressed concerns, mainly over the possibility personal information could be leaked.
Yokohama Mayor Hiroshi Nakada said the national government should make it clear who is responsible when information is leaked or the system is abused. Kawasaki Mayor Takao Abe said he shares the same concern.
The meeting followed similar discussions Monday between Katayama and the mayors of 37 cities with populations of more than 200,000 across the country.
The computerized registry system will be introduced in accordance with the amended Law of the Basic Resident Registers. The amendment was enacted in August 1999.