Not quite.

Phone to phone messaging in Japan is very popular, more so than voice use. However on the Japanese FOMA handsets the messaging is essentially SMTP, not GSM SMS/MMS. This is the way it's been since FOMA was introduced by DoCoMo back in c. 2000.

My sources, if yer interested: http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/japanese_cell_phone_culture.html

Whilst this is a failure of some rudimentary security system that was supposed to protect the data stored on the chip, this is anot a cloned card per se.

The chips on these ID cards, and the new UK passports, are there to enhance the integrity of the DOCUMENT, not be secure stand-alone identifiers alone. For instance you can easily copy the data on a chip once the security has been defeated but to accurately copy the paper part of the document including the watermarks, UV sensitive fibres, holograms, raised ink, irridescent coatings, etc. takes a lot of time and effort that most people won't bother with. Some do bother as a lot of bent banknotes will testify to.

These cards like the passports SHOULD when tested/checked be read by a human being who knows how to check the security features (e.g running your fingers over the top of a banknote to check the raised ink), check the details and the photo are correct and do not seem to have been tampered with, then they can check that the data on the chip matches the data printed on the paper/plastic. If they match then there's a very high chance that the card/passport is genuine.

Just checking one portion rather than the other defats the purpose of these designs.

Weak systems will always be exploitable. UK Border Control staff/Police/Home Office drones need to know that that no document is unforgeable and to maintain the integrity of a system requires knowledge and training on the part of those who are attempting to enforce it.

Of course followed by...

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAANN!"

Always gotta love that bit.