Japan to fingerprint, photograph foreigners from Nov 20

[chompy]

TOKYO The government will approve a draft ordinance stipulating that a mandatory fingerprinting and photographing of visitors aged 16 or older will enter into force on Nov 20, officials said Thursday. The revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law incorporating such a measure was enacted in May last year in a bid to block the entry into Japan of individuals designated as terrorists by the justice minister.

Under the law, scanned fingerprints and other biometric data will be stored in a computer to be checked against those of past deportees. The system can also be accessed by investigative authorities, they said. The measure excludes ethnic Koreans and other permanent residents with special status, those under 16, those visiting Japan for diplomatic or official purposes, and those invited by the state.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/419607

Update: 6:48pm Friday, October 26

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan hopes to thwart potential terrorists from entering the country by fingerprinting and photographing all foreigners aged 16 or over on entry starting next month, an official said Friday.

Only some permanent residents, diplomatic visitors, and children under 16 will be exempt from the measures after the system goes into effect Nov. 20, Immigration Bureau official Takumi Sato said.

Under the new system, all adults will be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival in Japan. Incoming aircraft and ship operators also will be obliged to provide passenger and crew lists before they arrive.

Immigration officials will run the images and data through a database of international terror and crime suspects as well as against domestic crime records.

People matching the data on file will be denied entry and deported.

"We hope the system will help keep terrorists out of the country, and also put at ease the minds of both the Japanese people and the foreigners who come here," Sato said.

 

[handyman]

:defeat:

This is bad. I get so furious about how much Japan has been affected by the west since the war. Now another nail in the coffin....

How much more will Japan be influenced by the west's guilt ridden paranoia?

:destroy:




P.S. Good tags

 

[gaijindavid]

when the police in Osaka had to come to my apartment (after I was burglarized twice) they took my fingerprints to rule them out. they made a point of assuring me they would throw away the copies of my prints once this investigation was over, and that there would be no records kept of them. seems like such an innocent time (about 6 years ago) ...

 

[handyman]

.......they made a point of assuring me they would throw away the copies of my prints once this investigation was over, and that there would be no records kept of them. seems like such an innocent time (about 6 years ago) ...

Do you believe they really threw them away? And if the same thing happened now, do you think you would still get the same assurance?

 

[godgundam10]

Well, I was hoping to travel to Japan one day, but now it may not happen. So much for getting a Japanese girlfriend. But being American, it wasn't going to happen anyway...

 

[mecmax]

what terrorists are they refering to? if a mid-eastern muslim came to japan you would think that he or she would stick out like a sore thumb. its not like mid-eastern muslims can surreptitiously infiltrate japan. and its not like they are anti-japan.

but if they are targeting hostile korean and chinese agents of terror then i guess they have some bases for feeling anxious considering what japan did during WWII. and i assume the vengeful mentalities of the chinese and koreans are still harbored today.

 

[Eternalrain]

SUCKS!! issed:
Why do they have to treat everyone as a criminal..... erhaps:
So disapointed about the JP government. :sigh:

 

[lordrio]

what terrorists are they refering to? if a mid-eastern muslim came to japan you would think that he or she would stick out like a sore thumb. its not like mid-eastern muslims can surreptitiously infiltrate japan. and its not like they are anti-japan.

No, I don't think so. All of the japanese in my class including most of my teacher dont even know what muslims means or if they even exist. heh
Terrorist is probably an excuse for the government to tag all of em foreigners since according to em all the crime is done by foreigners. So it's easier to blame the gaijin if shit were to happen. Hell, all of the terrorist act that I know that had happen in Japan, is done by Japanese.

The way most typical japanese (sorry for the generalization) see it is either gaijin or japanese. But thats is normal I guess. I have a few racist/xenophobic motherfucker(including 1 teacher) in my class, but other then that, most of em are cool.

The main problem here is the government and cops tho but I won't go into details about it.(personal experience)

Rio

(oh, and sorry for spreading all this hate and shit. Need to vent from time to time so don't take my word/point of view for it since Its obviously biased as hell)

*goes to download more p0rn for stress release*

 

[handyman]

....The main problem here is the government and cops tho but I won't go into details about it.(personal experience)......

If you don't mind, can you please go into more detail about how the main problem is the government and the police, as I think it would be relevant in this thread.

 

[cube]

What does the American Government think about this. I doubt they like the idea of American citizen's being photographed and finger printed and Japan being able to keep a database of it. I know that information is in a passport so why should they need it? It sounds like a violation of rights.

Another thing that seems ridiculous is that if I were a terrorist then why would I return to a country that I've attacked? If they have the information on me then that would be suicide. How does this system stop anything from happening if, like the above poster said, most acts of terrorism are committed by Japanese.

 

[mecmax]

actually i would think the american government wouldn't mind japanese government taking finger prints and photos of american citizens. but the american government would not necessarily admit it to it publicly. the government would then cooperate with the japaense and have them give the information over to the US based on cooperation with dealing with terrorism. of course this would be a gross perversion of cooperation and the US would then be able to access and more carefully monitor which of it's citizens visits japan.

 

[zelgadis123]

:defeat:

This is bad. I get so furious about how much Japan has been affected by the west since the war. Now another nail in the coffin....

How much more will Japan be influenced by the west's guilt ridden paranoia?

:destroy:




P.S. Good tags

Ummm, don't blame this on the west. Japan is doing this in part because of highly publicized and highly selective news coverage of foreigners committing crimes in Japan. Japan has always been an exceptionally xenophobic country even in modern times; any gajin in here who stayed in Japan for more than 6 month or more in Japan can attest to that. You become in tune to the subtle racism that can be ignorant, benign, harmless, but also hateful and intense racism against gajin. I must state that it is everywhere though, just travel anywhere that is not work related and it wears you down if you are the type with thin skin.


However the levels of xenophobia vary from time to time such as periods of upheaval and so on. To drive the point, the UN recently warned Japan of INSTITUTIONALIZED widespread racism in Japan against foreigners. This is just another sad example.

 

[Guchi_Jnr]

I honestly don't care, and can't understand what all the fuss is about.. If you have nothing to hide and have kept your nose clean, what's it matter if they scan your index fingers (they are not scanning all, just those two) and take your photo..

What does the American Government think about this. I doubt they like the idea of American citizen's being photographed and finger printed and Japan being able to keep a database of it. I know that information is in a passport so why should they need it? It sounds like a violation of rights.

A businessman in his 40s from Houston said he can tolerate the long procedure, especially since the U.S. is the only other country with a biometric immigration process.

"We do it to the foreigners in the U.S., so it doesn't bother me much," said the man, who also asked to remain anonymous.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071121a1.html

when the police in Osaka had to come to my apartment (after I was burglarized twice) they took my fingerprints to rule them out. they made a point of assuring me they would throw away the copies of my prints once this investigation was over, and that there would be no records kept of them. seems like such an innocent time (about 6 years ago) ...

Back in '99 when I renewed my gaijin card, it actually included my thumb print, but they scrapped doing that around 2000..

 

[Calci]

Hi,

I think this was appropriate because 5 criminals were arrested ON THE DAY when this law started. True aim of this law is to purge foreign spys, because this nation has no law to control foreign agent.

Too bad is that this law isn't applicable for Koreans, one of the most suspicious groups of crime in Japan.

My idea is that ALL the person in this country should have taken finger prints including native Japanese like me. The US already has the one.

 

[chompy]

I found a good blog on this issue from JapanProbe

http://reentryjapan.blogspot.com/

From an interview with Professor David McNeill of Sophia University

"(...) just to pick the topic of the day, the whole fingerprinting issue, do you have any thoughts about this as a non-Japanese living in Japan?

DM: Well, the most sensible thing I've heard ― obviously I'm against it ― but the most sensible thing I've heard anybody say about it was a guy called William Wetherall, who writes a lot of letters to the Japan Times.

And he said that people are looking at it in the wrong way. It's not that it's discriminating against foreigners. Which it is, in the sense that it's only foreigners that they check ― which is a really bad idea, if they check people who've been here, like me, a long time, permanent residents who pay taxes, it is insulting ― but he said no, these kinds of things are always used first on the weakest part of the population, and then they are expanded.

So it's aimed at Japanese people, not at foreigners, and that's why you have to fight these things. They tend to be used initially against a group [about whom] everybody says: "oh, we have to protect ourselves from them". If you ask an average Japanese person who hasn't thought about this issue much in Japan, they'll say, oh yeah, we could fingerprint foreigners. Why not? It's only 5 minutes at the airport. And if they don't have anything to hide, then what's the problem? And anyway, there are some foreigners who are criminals, you know. People say that, right?

But those kinds of things tend to be used in that way and then expanded and used against everybody. And that's why I think Japanese people should be against this.

9-11 is used to legitimize so many bad things. Censorship and surveillance. And suspicion. It's just a very disturbing trend, and nobody knows where it's going to end."

This is also worth reading

 

[Calci]

chompy,

Thanks for the quote and introduction of an interesting blog.

I am sorry but I am pro for this law. Human right. yes, it is very important. But as an avarage Japanese, I am for public rather than individual. I know western people are keen on the term 'human right' but in this country it has been percepted badly.

It is a historical irony, but after the WWII, thanks to the GHQ, America promoted to establish worker's union and various human right organizations. But those organizations were maliciously utilized by Russian Communist Party, and there appeared many 'sects' of communists in Japan. Soon afterwards GHQ admitetd the mistake and promotion was cancelled but it was too late. There were too many anarchysts grown up.

Another bad image of 'human right' was, formed by Buraku Kaihou Doumei (Village Release Union) and Zainichi Koreans. They did as any kind of terrible crimes as you can imagine. They formed 'human right mafia' and no one can pointed it out. This was critical.

I am sure this finger print thing was promoted by the US government, because they are anxious for the Japan's military security capability after seeing spying of Japanese submarine by Chinese agent.

Sorry for the innocent foreigners, but I wish this law will illuminate the foreign agent's crime of this country.

 

[Guchi_Jnr]

Bump

95 refused entry

A total of 95 foreigners were refused entry into Japan in the month after Japan began fingerprinting and photographing foreign nationals at airports and seaports nationwide, the Justice Ministry said.

According to the ministry's Immigration Bureau, about 700,000 foreign nationals came to Japan since the revised immigration law took effect Nov. 20.

Of the 700,000, Japan refused entry to 95, some because their fingerprints matched those who had been deported in the past.

 

[discosupafly]

Another bad image of 'human right' was, formed by Buraku Kaihou Doumei (Village Release Union) and Zainichi Koreans. They did as any kind of terrible crimes as you can imagine.

Ohhh, let me see.. did they r***, pillage and kill anything up to 430,000 Chinese people simply for fun, or under the pretense of "medical experimentation"? Did they eat the flesh of both the healthy and the wounded - including their own, in the war? Did they r*** children until their innards spilled out of their vagina resulting in their death? Use anyone for bayonet practice? Shove said bayonet into the private parts of both men and women - once again, for "fun"?

Oh wait.. no - that'd only be the JAPANESE that did that now, wouldn't it. :nosepick:

Sorry for the innocent foreigners, but I wish this law will illuminate the foreign agent's crime of this country.

Ah yes, "the foreign agent's crime of this country". You're no doubt referring to the foreign crime rate in Japan, which is a whopping 1.39% of all crimes committed in Japan.
(Source: Debitrg, The Japan Times...)

But let's not forget that this program was originally developed to prevent/counter acts of terrorism in Japan so they want to check on all foreigners coming to or reentering Japan (including long-term residents).

I'll repeat that slowly for you: Japan wants to stop terrorism in Japan. The policy targets ONLY foreigners.

Gee, that's great isn't it? Yep, I'm sure glad a smart cookie such as yourself agrees with this policy of humiliating foreigners ONLY under the pretense of preventing terrorism. Here's the thing though - now listen carefully:

No terrorist act in Japan has ever been caused by foreigners.
:ban:

To whit:

* 2000 - Yosakoi-Soran Festival in Sapporo: 10 injured, none dead.
Foreign/non-Japanese terrorists involved: NONE

* July 25th, 1998 - Wakayama arsenic incident (mass poisoning): 67 injured, 4 dead.
Foreign/non-Japanese terrorists involved: NONE

* March 19th, 1995 - Tokyo subway sarin attack: 5,500 injured, 12 dead.
Foreign/non-Japanese terrorists involved: NONE

* June 27th, 1994 - Matsumoto sarin attack: 600 injured, 7 dead.
Foreign/non-Japanese terrorists involved: NONE

* March, 1976 - Hokkaido Prefectural Government office building in Sapporo: 80 injured, 2 dead.
Foreign/non-Japanese terrorists involved: NONE

* August 30th, 1974 - Bombing of headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Tokyo: 207 injured, 8 dead. (Video link of news footage)
Foreign/non-Japanese terrorists involved: NONE

Are you seeing the pattern here? Basically what I'm saying is: Your disgusting system of harassing foreigners to search for potential terrorists is flawed. Why? Because the only terrorists to date in Japan so far are YOU - the Japanese people!!!
:ridiculed:


... :sigh: (sigh)

 

[Guchi_Jnr]

Your disgusting system of harassing foreigners to search for potential terrorists is flawed. Why? Because the only terrorists to date in Japan so far are YOU - the Japanese people!!!

Haha.....let me get this straight... By your rationale, Japan has no reason to implement procedures to prevent international terrorists from entering the country, since they have had no international terrorist acts in the past?!?!? That's a "closing the stable door after the horse has bolted" type mentality, isn't it??


And what exactly are you guys so paranoid about?? That you might be turned down when trying to enter Japan?? Or that you won't be able to commit any crimes while here, since they already took your fingerprints at the airport??

Like I said before, I simply don't care.. Hell, swab my mouth for my DNA for all I care.. :shrugs: And I also agree with Calci, and that this should be applicable for everyone, Japanese, Koreans, diplomats, the works..

 

[discosupafly]

Haha.....let me get this straight... By your rationale, Japan has no reason to implement procedures to prevent international terrorists from entering the country, since they have had no international terrorist acts in the past?!?!?

Nope. My point is that Japan is NOT saying "international terrorists" at all - only "terrorists". And thus by singling out ONLY foreigners it's a fallacy, since the only people who've committed terrorist acts in Japan to date are the Japanese themselves.

Furthermore, if Japan were truly serious about preventing terrorism they'd be doing more about surveying/questioning/watching/fingerprinting/etc their own kind - as in, try doing it at all.
Also, I'm under the impression that you like both exclamation and question marks???!!?!!!??!!?

Like I said before, I simply don't care.. Hell, swab my mouth for my DNA for all I care.. :shrugs: And I also agree with Calci, and that this should be applicable for everyone, Japanese, Koreans, diplomats, the works..

Thanks for agreeing with me - which you should have been able to understand the first time around when reading the protests of everyone in this thread. Oh well, better late than never for you to (inadvertently) see the point.

:nosepick: