The Japanese Ministry of Defense wants to track its high ranking officials with GPS tracking devices, similar to those used by parents to track their kids and pets.
Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba got the idea after a recent scandal in which the second highest ranking official in the Ministry admitted to enjoying a few hundred rounds of golf that were paid for by a Japanse defense contractor.
The other MoD bureaucrats aren't too keen on this idea, and a Japanese newspaper is claiming that an official harshly criticized the idea, as the officials are not children and that the Ministry is ignoring their right to personal privacy.
"The Defense Ministry has responsibility for the country's independence and peace," said Defense Minister Ishiba, "If they are saying their privacy is more important, that's fine. They should say so publicly."
So, the Defense Ministry is in charge of peace, but the state should always know where its officials and citizens are. Sounds a bit Orwellian, don't you think ?
More on Reuters, here.