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Japan’s tobacco industry is getting together with the nation’s vending machine makers to deck out this country’s ubiquitous cigarette vending machines with IC card readers in a bid to stop underage smokers obtaining their fixes from said machines.
About 620,000 tobacco vending machines nationwide will be switched during 2008, according to the Tobacco Institute of Japan, the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, and other (cough, splutter) industry bodies (wheeze).
It appears that those wishing to buy cancer sticks will have to hold IC-embedded cards. Only those who have reached the legal age (i.e. 20) for smoking will carry such cards, so those under age will not be able to use the machines.
No word if the move is being extended to Japan’s huge number of liquor vending machines yet.
(Via Japan Today)
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04:49 PM 
Paul Kallender •
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