Re:I know I feel reassured... (Score 1)

Well there seem to be some claims wrt to privacy, although I can't find any specific guarantee of such in the Japanese constitution. Without knowing too many of the details it sounds like the biggest problem is more that the government never got around to actually making the privacy laws that it promised...

• Legislation enacted in 1999 that introduces the system requires the government to take relevant measures to ensure the protection of personal information. However, the Diet failed to enact a bill submitted by the government on the protection of information during its latest session, which ended Wednesday, amid concerns that the laws will also threaten the freedom of expression.

- The Japan Times