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Japan to fingerprint, photograph visiting foreigners
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.
Resident foreigners will be required to go through the procedure every
time they re-enter Japan.
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.
The bureau plans to store the data for "a long time," Sato said, while
refusing to disclose how long due to security concerns.
It is unclear how many people will be affected; Japan saw 8.11 million
foreign entries in 2006, Sato said.
Opponents of the new system say the measures amount to discrimination
against foreigners and a violation of their right to privacy.
Tokyo's staunch support of the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and
Iraq and dispatch of forces to each region have raised concerns that
Japan could become the target of deadly terror attacks.
Until next issue stay cool and remain low profile!
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