Japan tags senior citizens with scan-able barcodes to tackle their problem of elderly people ‘gone missing’

Natural News: It likely seems Orwellian to most Americans, but apparently some Japanese are okay with it: One city in the Asian nation has launched a unique program to help keep track of senior citizens who have a tendency to become lost…tagging their fingers and toes with scan-able barcodes.

As reported by Agence France Presse, a firm based in Iruma, located north of Tokyo, developed minute nail stickers, each one carrying a unique identifier that helps concerned families locate missing loved ones, according to the city’s social welfare office.

The QR-coded, adhesive seals for nails, which are part of a free service that has only recently been launched—and is a first in Japan—measure only one centimeter (0.4 inches) in size. “Being able to attach the seals on nails is a great advantage,” one city employee told AFP. “There are already ID stickers for clothes or shoes but dementia patients are not always wearing those items.”

If authorities find an elderly person wandering about, they will contact the local city hall, its telephone number and the wearer’s identification all placed within the QR code. The chips stay attached for about two weeks, even if they get wet, according to the company, citing recent field trials....read more>>>...