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The Japanese government has a feverish obsession with My Number, a universal ID system that encompasses everything from identity proof to health insurance and tax verification. Think of the possibilities if they paired it with AI. They would wield a formidable weapon to regulate the Japanese populace like never before.

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True. At the same time, to do what though? You can't force the new generation to have children to plug the retirement gap, because the new generation already want children, but simply can't afford them. I'm not sure what brainwashing of the population can accomplish, if the decision making is already pressed up against the wall

No joke. And the obsession boils down to local governments too.

I get woken up at 07:00 every other day or so (weekends included!) by an announcement on the village PA that everyone is asked to please sort out their My Number Card if they have not already done so, assistance is available in the village hall between these hours, and so on and so forth.

Supposedly all (tax?) residents already have a My Number while the My Number Card is optional. My only rationalization for the aggressive push is that there is an intention to have it adopted enough to be able to make it mandatory in various situations and for various purposes.

The experience is a bit dystopic to say the least.

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