System.identityHashCode(obj) delivers the next-best thing: a number unique for each object. It corresponds to the default Object.hashCode() implementation.
To quote the API: "As much as is reasonably practical, the hashCode method defined by class Object does return distinct integers for distinct objects. (This is typically implemented by converting the internal address of the object into an integer, but this implementation technique is not required by the JavaTM programming language.)".
