Privacy and personal data in Japan

Privacy is a big thing for us Europeans. As soon as a possible infringement is perceived, we collectively climb the barricades to fight for all that’s just and holy. As a cultural concept, it’s proven very powerful and very successful. But the notion of privacy is not that old, being a typical result of the 18^th century Enlightenment period in European history. It was during this period that the idea of the human individual as the fundamental element of society was developed. Thus, as privacy is more or less a European “invention”, it should be no surprise that other cultures place a different value on privacy. Or maybe attach a different meaning to it than we do.

So too in Japan. Traditionally, culture in Japan has focused more on the group than on the individual person. It is the functioning within the group that primarily defines the Japanese individual. This is closely linked to perhaps one of the most concepts in Japanese culture: the preservation of harmony, known as wa.

This may be changing as Japanese youngsters readily adopt a more Western lifestyle, but it still goes a long way in defining the Japanese cultural identity. The emphasis on harmony and groupism that we find in Japanese culture has their reflection in the Japanese legal system. Preservation of harmony is not served well by attributing guilt. That makes Japan less of a lawyer-oriented culture than we may be used to in Europe and North America.

My first Suica

A bit of an incongruity here: I’m rapidly becoming a Suica-nerd of the first degree. I read everything committed to paper about the system and I’m asking people for their experiences whenever the opportunity arises. But I stand in line for something as old-fashioned as a ticket every time I ride the tube…

Recently I made up for it, though. I tried to treat myself to the real deal: a Suica, associated with a credit card that automatically tops up my credit when it gets too low. The ultimate in convenience. But, the ultimate in self-exposure at the same time.

Tokyo going crazy for Pasmo

Less than a month after introduction, Pasmo cards completely sold out. Pasmo being new prepaid smart cards for public transportation in the Tokyo region. Click here for an introduction into Pasmo and its competitor Suica. With over a million sales in the first four days, the entire stock of 3 million open Pasmo cards was gone in three weeks. The special Pasmo cards commemorating the start at March 18^th sold out in but three hours. All 110.000 of them(!)

There are some cards still available, but they are only to be sold to people buying a so-called commuter pass: a term ticket with a reduced price for a specified itinerary.
For those of us wanting an open Pasmo: we’ll have to hold our breath until July, when the first additional batch of a million cards becomes available, reports Nikkei News.

So, how could this have happened?

A ubiquitous society

From January through March 2007, a number of streets in the luxurious shopping quarters of Ginza in central Tokyo were plastered with thousands of RFID chips. People with a special PDA-like device could access all kinds of information by way of communicating with those chips. Where is that cute second-hand bookstore again that I can never find? Does my favourite restaurant have a nice menu today? What’s the story behind that beautiful statue in the square?

Contactless smartcards for public transportation

 

Japanese railway corporation JR East is the world’s largest people mover. The company gets 16 million people from A to B on a daily basis. As a way to increase station capacity and enhance customer convenience they introduced Suica, a prepaid IC card taking away the necessary chore of buying tickets, in 2001. This card uses RFID technology. When you enter the station and pass through the gates, your card will remember. When you arrive at your destination, your fare will be calculated and withdrawn automatically. Besides, you can use your Suica pay in some 4000 shops. And there are even some companies, like Hitachi, that use Suica as an entrance card for their offices.

Getting the show on the road

 

This is it, then. The first week of work drawing to a close. High time to introduce you to the project, its scope and its partners.

What’s going on?
RFID (for Radio Frequency Identification) is a hot topic. At least, for policy makers and ICT businesses. Just in case your IT-acronyms are a little rusty: RFID is a set of technologies allowing the remote reading of data stored on chips. For a comprehensive introduction to RFID, follow this link.
Ideal for streamlining logistic processes and inventory management, replacing the bar code. But its possibilities for application are much, much wider. Think of prepaid-cards for public transportation that automatically communicate with your bank account when stored credits are running low, automated messages sent to parents whose kids walk through the school door and chips in the sidewalk communicating with the cane of a blind man, telling him where to go. Science fiction? Think again…

Just in time for hanami

So, there I was. Legs still a little stiff from the flight and standing queue as Japanese customs took their time to inspect our passports. There I was. Sitting in a comfortable train, speeding through suburb after suburb. Past expressways, houses and high-rises. There I went. Trying to get my bearings at Shinjuku station, finding my way out. Walking the busy streets, pulling along Mr. Suitcase, my obese travel companion.

Trust me when I tell you I had no trouble sleeping that night.