Fingerprinting of foreigners in Japan begins
Well, the fingerprinting of foreigners who are entering in Japan has been going for around 36 hours now, and already the news reports are saying that 5 people have been deported, 3 of whom were found to have been using false passwords. Very strangely for Japanese news reports, little other information about these people (i.e. their nationality, reason for not being allowed in the country etc) is being released. This is already leading to some critics questioning the legitimacy of this story. It also begs the question that if they didn’t have the fingerprint check, would the Japanese authorities not have noticed that their passports were forgeries? If so then Japanese immigration needs to take a long look at its practices and methods.
Another point that has been raised about the issue concerns those bastions of Japanese tradition and legitimacy, the Yakuza. “But those are 100% Japanese!” I hear some of you already cry. That is true, but look at it another way. Do you think the Japanese should be allowing these known criminals travel to other countries when they are preventing foreigners who have done the same from entering their country. Earlier in the week, it was reported that a group called Velvet Revolver (I believe, although I’ve not heard of them) have been refused visas to come to Japan and perform due to a previous problem with the law in America. They have consequently cancelled their Japanese leg of the tour and have moved on to Australia for the next leg. Well done Japan - you’ve kept out those hardened thugs!
But this entry includes a story from the Mainichi website, which just goes to show what an uphill struggle foreigners are facing in Japan, both as residents and as visitors:
Celebrity uses fingerprint photo-op to call for cut in foreign crime
NARITA — TV celebrity Kazutomo Miyamoto urged immigration officials during a photo-op to use a new process to fingerprint inbound foreigners to fight foreign crime, not terrorism as the government claims the system will be used for.
“I think it’d be best if we could cut the amount of crime foreigners are committing and make Japan a safer place,” Miyamoto said at Narita Airport, where he was serving as the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau Chief For a Day as a promotional event for the fingerprinting process.
Starting from Nov. 20, Japan will follow the United States to become the second country in the world to implement individual recognition software for foreigners entering and leaving the country.
With the new system, nearly all foreigners will have to have fingerprints from both hands and a picture of their face recorded. Fingerprints will be verified with a list in what the government says will be an attempt to prevent terrorists or known criminals from entering Japan.
Japanese nationals will be able to pass through Immigration via an automated gate instead of waiting in line to be processed by officials if they have applied for permission and submitted fingerprints in advance.
Miyamoto, 43, was once a pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants.
source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20071114p2a00m0na030000c.html
The shocking thing about this was he was pictured having his fingerprints taken, smiling as he did so, as if to say “This is fun, what’s the problem?”. What they should have had was one of the foreign Japanese celebrities from TV going to the machine, having their prints and photograph taken, and asking how they feel about having to have these details taken each time they enter the country, regardless of whether they are married to a Japanese citizen or not. Maybe the reason is because they wouldn’t be pleased at the idea and would voice discontent at such a practice.
The final worry people have concerns the recent history of Japan’s lack of ability to keep private information secret. This is a rather appropriate story, given the current UK story that 2 discs containing the personal details of 25 million people has been lost whilst going from HMRC to the National Audit Office. Japan seems to have a knack of losing such information too, with recent Japanese Self-Defence Force information and secrets been found on a laptop somewhere, and other stories of classified information being freely available on the internet after being entrusted with someone. The fear is that it will only take the loss of this information and for it to land in the wrong hands for all the foreigners who are in or who have ever been into Japan and had their details taken to be compromised. Scary stuff I’m sure you’ll agree. But Japan has it all covered so there will be no more terrorist attacks by foreigners in Japan. Not that there have ever been any, of course…
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lovely, here’s another local published headline retorting okinawa’s 2nd place prefecture in highest HIV rates (1.23 in 100,000 is high??)
Officials say there were 11 cases reported in 2006, but the number has more than doubled to 23 in the first nine months of this year. HIV infections account for 18 cases, while AIDS patients are the other five. “Most of the patients come from big cities,” a Welfare Health Section official says, “and not from small Okinawan districts.” The report says an increasing number of homosexuals living in Okinawa accounts for the increase.
…where did that last line come from???!!! jesus, reminds me of early 80’s mentality back in america!!! (2nd only to 50’s mentality!!)