Japan plans foreign fingerprinting

[Dutch Baka]

I am not sure what to think about it yet, one way it is good, but maybe they should also take the Fingerrprints of all Japanese... Because wasn't the only terror in Japan happened by a Japanese sekt?

Japan's Cabinet has approved controversial plans to fingerprint and photograph most foreign visitors, in an effort to tighten security.
The measures would apply to all foreigners over the age of 16, except permanent residents and those on official business.
Japan's justice minister acknowledged human rights concerns but said fighting terrorism was more important.
The US introduced similar measures after the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Japan's proposed legislation still needs approval by parliament.
Chiho Nakai of the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau said it would be submitted during the current session, which ends on 18 June.
Critics have argued the Bill violates a constitutional principle to treat people with respect.
"Not all terrorists are foreigners, and even if such a foreigner tries to enter Japan, we may not have physical information about the person in advance," the Japan Federation of Bar Associations said in a statement in December.
Security worries
But Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura argued on Tuesday that the controversy was worth it.
"There may be a problem [with human rights] I think. But domestic policies to reduce illegal immigrants and anti-terrorism measures are more important," he told reporters.
The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a record high of 7.45 million in 2005, according to the justice ministry.
Japan is worried it could be a target for terrorism due to its close links with the US, and its despatch of troops to Iraq.
But the issue of fingerprinting foreigners in Japan is particularly sensitive. Until a few years ago, it fingerprinted all resident foreigners.
Representatives of various minority groups called on Tuesday for Japan to enact a law to outlaw racism and other discrimination.
Doudou Diene, UN special rapporteur on racism, compiled a report to the UN made public in January which accused Japan of profound discrimination against its minorities, and urged the government to pass a law against it.

[Kaspian K]

I was just about to mention this. I guess this is the same way a lot of people felt when the U.S. introduced something similar. I don't know how necessary it is. I just don't see the country being a huge target for terrorists. The only group that has cause problems there has been Aum, and they're Japanese. I can't see this being a good thing for their tourism industry, either. These sorts of measures generally tend to make people feel less welcome.

[misa.j]

I agree with Kaspian. If this was implemented as a new law, it would definitely hurt tourism.
Also, I don't think Japan has the same type of intelligence against international terrorism as the US does, so I'm not sure how this is going to merit them as a counter terrorism measure.

[changedonrequest]

Do you really think it is going to hurt tourism? Please people be realistic, it hasn't hurt the US, and it isn't all that big of a deal. If you have been through an US airport you will see that it is just placing one finger down on a sensor pad and *beep* it's down in about the time it takes me to type the letter "a" on this computer. It really is no big deal.

Japan until just within the past few years was finger printing foreign residents.

[nurizeko]

The only real terrorist attack against japan in its recent past was by a japanese religious cult, why they feel the need to do this to foreign visitors is beyond me, since Japan has hardly ever been an objective of islamic or any real kinda terrorism except the home grown variety.


I think its a poor and needless plan and will only hurt japan in the long run...

"Oh, i heard Japan is nice, we should go there sometime."

"Nah, apparently they fingerprint and note down your details like a common criminal, i dont want to go somewhere where im treated like a crook the second i arrive in the country."

"Your probably right, lets take our tourist money and bussiness elsewhere, to benefit another country that doesnt abuse and discriminate foreigners so much, fighting terrorism my ***, japan has never been a target of international terrorism."

[pipokun]

Originally Posted by nurizeko

The only real terrorist attack against japan in its recent past was by a japanese religious cult, why they feel the need to do this to foreign visitors is beyond me, since Japan has hardly ever been an objective of islamic or any real kinda terrorism except the home grown variety.
I think its a poor and needless plan and will only hurt japan in the long run...
"Oh, i heard Japan is nice, we should go there sometime."
"Nah, apparently they fingerprint and note down your details like a common criminal, i dont want to go somewhere where im treated like a crook the second i arrive in the country."
"Your probably right, lets take our tourist money and bussiness elsewhere, to benefit another country that doesnt abuse and discriminate foreigners so much, fighting terrorism my ***, japan has never been a target of international terrorism."

No matter how super sensitive X-ray detectors the Heathrow has, people enjoy travelling around your country. I was so surprised that the detector evern reacted at my cotton facial towel in my pocket, though.
No matter how impatient you really are, tourists keep quiet and queue up at the immigration for non-EU lines, and more. Just let your girlfriend go through the immigraiton without any return tickets. It must be a good English practice for her.

It was just my expericece, but immigration staffs at Waterloo were much more lovelier than the guys at Heathrow, I suppose.

[DoctorP]

I don't see this hurting tourism at all.

I give my standard answer to this...if you have nothing to hide, then you should not be against this. It will, in the long run, make everyone safer!

[Da Monstar]

I for one don't mind it. If you haven't done anything wrong then why fear having your fingerprints checked by the officials?

[Dutch Baka]

How much can we trust fingerprints...anyone know that?

[yidaki]

Man, this sucks.
I'm not sure I want to go to Japan anymore.

"Not all terrorists are foreigners, [_ _ _]" the Japan Federation of Bar Associations said[. . .].

Exactly.
And not all foreigners are terrorists.
So why treat them as such.
Innocent until proven guilty is something I like to swear by.
Otherwise we could go to witchburning and whatnot

[gaijinalways]

In that case, why not fingerprint everyone?

[Sukotto]

here's one article on

February 20, 2006
A "100 Per Cent Certainty"
The FBI and the Myth of Fingerprints


In 1995, so the Chicago Tribune series discovered, " one of the only independent proficiency tests of fingerprint examiners in U.S. crime labs found that nearly a quarter reported false positives, meaning they declared prints identical even though they were not--the sort of mistakes that can lead to wrongful convictions or arrests."

http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn02202006.html


don't get me started on the us gov'ts "patriot act".
unless you really want me to.

[Riyko]

I don't mind it either, their just trying to make it a safer place. I honestly have nothing to hide from them.

[off topic, but it's trying to get a point across]
Talking about security issues in the US and how they've been heightened. Last year I was flying from SLC to go up to montana to take care of my grandma and I got through security with my pocket knife in my carry on bag and they even took everything out of the bag. I didn't even know I had my pocket knife in my bag until the week I left montana. Just goes to show you even flying in the Us isn't safe!

[Reiku]

Ironically, I don't have a problem with this.

Yes, there are terrible things that could be done with it, but I'm sure the Japanese police have better things to do than frame tourists for kicks.

I don't know how much it will help against terrorism, people with organized criminal intent also usually have plans for bypassing security measures, but it makes sense to have an accurate record of who comes into the country.

Imagine if you lost our wallet and could just put your finger on a pad and prove who you were?

Especially useful for foreigners, because a lost wallet might mean a lost passport--which can be very, very bad.

In the long run it would be better as a verification system for tourists, than a means of catching terrorists--a quick and easy means to prove your legitimacy.

Just press, beep, and "Oh yes, he's on the tourist list."

[nurizeko]

The fact i dont look like osama bin laden should be enough proof i am who i say i am.

Otherwise Japans terror issues are a domestic noe which concerns Japanese alone.

[Dutch Baka]

Originally Posted by nurizeko

The fact i dont look like osama bin laden should be enough proof i am who i say i am.

So everyone who does look like Osama bin laden is a suspect? and who do you think that look like Osama bin laden?

[nurizeko]

Osama bin Laden funnily enough.

As ive said, Japan has no reason to "crackdown" on international terrorism when it doesnt concern it, its just a descrimatory act against foreigners.

Since the only terrorist attack against japan was done by japanese, they should fingerprint all japanese instead.

[Mikawa Ossan]

I just read an article on www.asahi.com about this issue. They say that the Ministry of Justice is now planning on holding onto these fingerprints for 70~80 years. They also plan to make a database of these prints to assist in criminal investigations.

A quote from the article:
　法務省によると、入国審査時に両手の人さし指の指紋 を採取。対象者は年間６００万〜７００万人にのぼる。 過去に退去強制処分にした約８０万人分の指紋・顔写真 のリストや国際刑事警察機構（ＩＣＰＯ）の手配者リス トなどと照合するほか、データベース化して犯罪捜査にも利用する方向。近く法案が成立す れば、来秋にも始める予定だ。

Funny how quickly anti-terrorism measures can morph into something else, isn't it?

[pipokun]

Don't worry. All Japanese passports should be IC-chip embedded soon.

[nurizeko]

Funnily enough mikawa, i had a suspicion this fingerprinting was more to do with a percieved false observation that foreigners are criminals.

Which is sad because otherwise, my experience of japan has been positive.

[yukio_michael]

The problem is this--- Japan has some form of perceived threat from say, North Korea, Mainland China, and to an extent, a exagerated threat to their society through immigration legal or otherwise... but does that, or has that, ever had to do with actuall terrorism?

These propostions as I've read, give them very blanket ruling as to allowing people into the country--- do they think you might be a threat, and under what reasoning? Sorry, you'll be denied entry--- there doesn't seem to be any guidelines for this and it will reinforce not elieviate Japan's record as a welcoming country--- (Tourism is NOT a welcoming factor--- every country wants your tourist dollars)...

The Japanese legal bar Assoc. has even found this to be questionable and that for lack of better words, 'unconstitutional' and will in fact have a negative and isolationist effect on Japan as these measures to combat terrorist are unchequed.

I feel that this is just another means to control the border, as what someone had mentioned, the only terrorist even of late has been one of inside Japan from soon to be terminated leader of Aum Shinrikyo...

I don't find that being fingerprinted hurts my civil liberties, but when customs agents take the time to actually leaf through my magazines and books, I cant imagine how my next trip will be.

[yukio_michael]

Double post, sorry--- (editing can be a pain re-inserting cr/lf...), they already have an abysmal record for Asylum seekers, I think this will make it worse... see Human rights watch, Amnesty international etc.... Japan claims that the asylum seekers are lying because 'that's what they do'.

Shades of "Donald Rumsfeld'-esque logic anyone.

File under: Border patrol.

[budd]

"Do you really think it is going to hurt tourism? Please people be realistic, it hasn't hurt the US, and it isn't all that big of a deal."

the u.s. got different ways of discrimination, thus they attract people for different reasons?
me myself i don't know but three people (that are not japanese) who want to go to japan
and i am/was one of them
need to find out when this stuff starts, if it hasn't
one last big shopping spree is in order

[dangdaga]

I don't see this hurting tourism at all.

I give my standard answer to this...if you have nothing to hide, then you should not be against this. It will, in the long run, make everyone safer

[budd]

disagree with that totally
i tried to explain it earlier, but i will try again
they won't be fiingerprinting EVERYBODY like america does?
it will be like everything else in asia, done purely arbitrarily and capriciously
that is my opinion and observation