It sounds like Apple may have solved the issue of integrating the NFC circuitry and transceiver antenna with the iPhone 5. 🙂
If the iPhone 5 does include NFC, it could single-handedly wipe out a lot of cellphone manufacturers in Asia in no time flat--mostly because NFC in Asia such as the FeliCa system developed by Sony are used on "feature" cellphones, not "smart" cellphones like an iPhone. I wouldn't be surprised that Apple is working with Sony to at least incorporate FeliCa NFC support right now.