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Japan to Start Fingerprinting Foreign Travelers
rabiddeity writes "If you're planning to visit Japan sometime in the near future, you should be aware of the welcome you'll get. Last year, Japan's parliament passed a measure requiring foreigners to submit their fingerprints when entering the country. The measures, which apply to all foreigners over 16 regardless of visa status, take effect tomorrow. The worst part: the fingerprints are stored in a national database for an "unspecified time", and will be made available to both domestic police and foreign governments."
Welcome to the rest of the world's dilemma if we want to even transit through the USA. I've avoided it for the past...3, 4(?) years exactly for this reason. I wouldn't be surprised if Japan is doing this kind of as a big 'FU' to the States.
lemonade was a popular drink and it still is
Am I supposed to just accept that this violation-by-proxy is legal?
Did you know that you leave fingerprints on everything you touch? Anyone can track you anywhere you go!!! All they have to do is "lift" the prints off the surface. It's a privacy nightmare.
When the US started to fingerprint foreign travellers, a whole bunch of countries threatened to do that to visting US citizens. It is nice to see Japan follow through with their threat, albeit a few years later (although they are not just focussing on US citizens). I can see a bunch of Americans getting really upset about this and declaring they'll never travel to Japan, but what the Japanese Government are doing is really no different than what the US Government is doing to everyone else.
Personally I don't like being treated as a criminal. However, as much as I could complain about it, it won't be stopping me from travelling.
Because the US is the land of the free
...
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What? Why are you laughing so hard.
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
I have permanent resident status in Japan. This is the equivalent of a landed immigrant in most countries, however it is more permanent as you essentially have it for the rest of your life unless you become a Japanese citizen or leave Japan without a re-entry permit. This status takes a very long time to get (5-10 years) and requires you to submit tons of personal information and have Japanese guarantors. One of the benefits has been that you can line up at the Japanese citizens counters at airport immigration and be through very quickly. (My record: plane to train in under 5 minutes)
Despite this, from this Tuesday I will be required to line up with the regular foreign tourists and have my picture and fingerprints taken every time I enter Japan and every time I *leave* Japan.
Also, I still have to make sure I have a re-entry permit which I have to get every 3 years or I will lose my status completely.
All of this because I *might* be a terrorist or criminal.
The one thing I wonder is, if I pass away during a trip abroad are they going to take my picture and fingerprints when they bring my body back to the nice gravesite in rural Gumma prefecture where I'm going to be buried when I die?
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
already live in Japan... I wonder if I will have to do this if I go on vacation and am coming back home?
I live in Aomori-ken and yes, it does. I love living here, but I am very upset about these measures. Rightly or wrongly (stastically wrongly, but seeing the way some English teachers and others behave here, I'm not surprised many Japanese people see things this way) the uptick in immigration is associated with crime (though in the U.S. it's the same way). I am very unhappy that while I have been a productive citizen here I am going to be treated like a criminal when I leave to visit other countries and return.
There's a lot to love here, but the conservative party and those supporting it (including the supposed opposition party) need to go.
"There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter," Jeeves, (Jeeves and the Impending Doom)
America has been doing this to citizens of every single country except Canada for many years now. Even up here in Canada we figure it's only a matter of time.
Each new power given to the government must be balanced by a power of the citizenry. Else, this is just another step on the path to a facist state.
These new powers of surveillance and databases that we're giving our governments are vast. Never before in history has a country been able to monitor the movements and transactions of everyone, with so much precision. I know of no balancing power that has been given to the citizens in countries such as the US, UK, and now Japan, to check that the government is not abusing these powers. And the citizenry certainly does not have the equivalent power of knowing the private travel habits of their officials.
The fact of the matter is that these kinds of powers are far more useful for tracking law-abiding citizens than catching criminals. You don't catch criminals by identifying all the non-criminals. The database of non-criminals is totally useless, since any truly nefarious characters will avoid it, and not end up in your database at all. These kinds of things are often justified on the basis of preventing petty crime. But, this is far too large a power to give the government to reduce petty crime. Petty crime will never hit zero.
Instead, these new kinds of powers have far more use in tracking political enemies and corporate espionage. For instance just before the next G8 summit you can bet there will be new names on the no-fly lists. Before a major political debate, the challenging candidate will be denied travel. Governments will be able to determine when competing corporations are traveling for a meeting, and deny entry to those people. For people who are not political dissidents or corporate higher-ups, the only possible consequence besides deterioration of our democratic systems is that we will end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and be accused of committing a crime. The dragnet will have found us. And the evidence will be ironclad. Because, fingerprints are never wrong, are they?
I need a succinct way to explain these issues. The fact of the matter these arguments always come down to the brain-dead simple arguments that are difficult to refute: a) This will help catch <latest bogeyman>; and b) I'm not a <latest bogeyman> so why should I care? I need a one-sentence refutation to these arguments to give the people that don't think very hard about it. Obviously those interested in preserving freedom such as myself are not winning this argument. Anyone want to suggest one in the comments?
--Bob
1^2=1; (-1)^2=1; 1^2=(-1)^2; 1=-1; 1=0.
...for all of us gaijins going home for the holidays! Needless to say, I'm not pleased.
Bonus points for this idiot minister using a bullshit "a friend of a friend is in Al Quaeda, therefore all foreigners are dangerous" claim to justify this crap.
Japan has gone further. Not only are visitors fingerprinted and photographed but also foreign residents like my friend Terrie LLoyd in the second article who has been there for almost a quarter of a century and who has started several successful companies that employ Japanese citizens.
What is most irritating is that Japan really doesn't have reason to fear an international terrorist incident on their soil. As Terrie says, all the terrorist incidents in Japan have been done by Japanese and the amount of crime by foreigners in Japan is minuscule compared to the overall total.
This is xenophobia pure and simple and will kill whatever tourist industry Japan was trying to get with their "Yokoso Japan!" campaign. A lot of businesses will avoid Japan because of these regulations as business travellers definitely do not like being treated as criminals.
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
... will look like 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirls since the authorities will be too busy checking out their panties to suspect them.
Now the U.S. will have access to fingerprints of US citizens who travel to Japan without ever having to lift a finger. I'm sure they will push for all other governments to start doing this -- where upon anyone who ever traveled outside this country will be fingerprinted by others and all of it put into some worldwide database.
I'm sure Bush is going to give his thanks to the Japanese Prime Minister one of these days.
Brazil started doing this when the US announced it was doing it to all visitors a couple of years ago. It surprised me to see that it has taken other countries so long to start doing this too. What goes around comes around. We do it to the world, then the world will do it to us.
This also applies to torture and other interogation techniques like "water boarding" for captured soldiers. In the future our military personal should expect to have the same treatment that we are giving others with water boarding, etc.
Whereas I'm just one of these crazy people who think they shouldn't have to show ID to travel.. even internationally.. let alone give fingerprints and have my picture taken.
Never forget that your government owns you.
How we know is more important than what we know.
The US has been taking finger prints and pictures of all foreigners entering the US since 2001 or 2002.
:)
For the Visa waiver program, I also need to fill out a form every time asking whether I am a nazi, have any infectious diseases or have the intention to commit terrorist acts.
It also warns you that 1f you check 'yes' to any of those questions, you may be denied entry to the united states
First off, I'd encourage everyone who opposes this policy to register their views with this online petition.
I would also encourage you to write a letter to the Ministry of Justice at:
Also, send a copy to the Japanese National Tourist Organization, making clear the impact on tourism, at their Japanese headquarters and your regional office listed at the URL below:
Not only is this policy an invasion of privacy, but also discriminatory in its application. Of the major terrorist incidents in Japan, none has been committed by a foreigner -- 1995 Tokyo Sarin Gas attacks, bombing of government office buildings in Hokkaido in the 70s, assassination of the Mayor of Nagasaki... all perpetrated by Japanese nationals.
Further, fingerprinting is dubious at best in preventing terrorist attacks. A terrorist organization capable of a serious attack on Japan is capable of entering the country without passing through immigration. From the point of view of politics, however, fingerprinting foreigners is an easy way to make it appear as though you're getting tough on terrorism and foreign crime.
Lastly, The Japanese government has produced an introductory video on the new scheme that you really have to see to believe. As the guy in the video says "I'll pass it on to all my friends". I get the feeling this won't have the effect the Japanese government intends it to have.
They've also put out a PDF version of the poster for this program.
I am strongly against this process.
Japan used to fingerprint all foreigners when they had to get their "gaijin cards". This was fought and overturned in 1999. Now Japan is playing the "terror" card to once again fingerprint foreigners. This is why the foreigners who live here are not exempt.
A few years back Japan tried to implement a program fingerprinting all of Japan's Citizens. There was a public outcry and the plan was scrapped, but foreigners are foreigners and fair game.
There are many things I love about Japan, but this is simply a waste of time and money.
Oh, here is a nice promotional video Japan has kindly put together for us stupid foreign people.
http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/common/moviechk.php?p=1203&d=0&t=110&b=0&m=1&r=2
You can easily see their perception of foreigners as slightly retarded, happy, future criminals by the way we are portrayed in this video.
Travellers to the US have been fingerprinted for some time - not to mention all the other indignities they endure. Reciprocity is a bitch, isn't it.
you had me at #!
It is incredibly unwise to try to joke around with these people!
A guy I know gave a silly answer to the question 'what is the reason for your visit?', and was held up for interrogation for several hours.
There's a very large difference between giving fingerprints and having your house or rectum searched.
The difference is only one of degree, not of kind.
There are two components to gathering fingerprints: The initial fingerprinting and the "match" found at an incriminating location.
Equivalently, there are two components to searching your house: the initial search and the "match" of something in your house that the cops think is illegal, or might be indicative of illegal activity -- e.g. "drug paraphernalia," even if the only thing you ever smoke in the pipe they turn up is tobacco. The point is that, without probable cause, they shouldn't be looking in the first place.
Your privacy only becomes violated by fingerprints when a crime is comitted AND it can additionally provide evidence you were NOT in said location if your status as a criminal is ever questioned.
Your privacy is violated the minute they search without probable cause, regardless of what they're searching is your house or your fingertips. Period. What part of "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, papers, and effects" don't you understand?
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Waiver_Program
"Get off the cross - we need the wood" - Tori Amos
Before you label these "refuseniks" and potentially all Koreans as "racist bigots", perhaps you should look into the modern history of Japanese occupation of Korean penninsula. There are many controversial historical issues, but I will point you to the worst alleged war crime by Japan against Koreans (and I mean alleged in the neutral sense—like O.J. Simpson is an alleged murderer). You can look up the rest, if you are interested. But, in short, I think it'd not be an exaggeration to say that compared to the Korean people under Japanese rule during WWII, the American citizens of Japanese ancestry lived like kings and queens in their "concentration camp" during the same time.
The point is, these people have not prejudged the Japanese—there is history that just can't be buried by nothing less than the amnesia induced by several centuries and all the good feeling that'll be generated by a unified world government (either that, or a very simple apology from the current Japanese government). Calling these people, who, from either their own (my friend's grandfather (who is a Korean) lived under the Japanese rule and could describe all the forced assimilation of Koreans into Japanese culture) or experience of people they trust (like family and teachers), know how badly Koreans were treated by the Japanese, "racist bigots" ... is either a display of patent ignorance of modern history, or some truly amazing bigotry in its own right.
Well, I am not a Korean myself (I just have a friend who is overflowing with "Korean-ness", and who, despite all that, happens to be a best friend), so if you need more, you will have to find another Korean to discuss it in more detail. But I just want you to know; it's not like these people don't have a very good reason to distrust and even hate the Japanese. They have the best reason you can find in the world to hate a group of people.
P.S. One very obvious argument (the same one I made when I was first confronted with this) would be: "But that's all history, over 60, 70 years ago!". And here's my friend's answer:
"And the Japanese people living in Japan TODAY is still proud that they beat the Russians, threatened the Chinese, and oppressed the Koreans. Unlike what used to be the Nazi Germany, where there can't possibly be another NAZI party TODAY, and calling a German "Nazi" would be the gravest insult you could throw at him, in Japan, the same emperor (well, emperor of the same line) that ruled over Japan during the periods of WWII (and before) still rules over the APPARENTLY SAME JAPAN. The Japanese government continually refuses to acknowledge its war crimes against Koreans (especially the Korean women who were sexually abused, not to mention the men who were used as human shields) nor apologize for it. It's not history, not just yet. It's very much current, despite the length of time that passed."
You were a visitor. You weren't staying there very long and I don't know how much Japanese you were able to learn and in which environments you found yourself but obviously you weren't there long enough to proceed to phase 2 of the Gaijin experience in Japan.
This happens when you REALLY start to learn to speak Japanese and start to talk to more of the citizens. When you get a job and have to do things like look for housing or deal with banks. Then the xenophobia starts to rear its ugly head. Landlords refuse to rent to you simply because you are a foreigner. You begin to understand the racist muttering from the older folks. You notice the condescending and discriminatory depiction of non-Japanese on the TV shows. Many gaijin go home at this point
Phase 3 begins when you accept that this is the reality of Japan and find ways to work around it. You move to the more progressive areas and modify your behaviour to fit better into the society. If you can get to this stage you will have a life-long love of Japan and all the wonderful things it has (geek toys, hot springs, and food, oh God the food!) despite all the negative aspects (pollution, crowding, expense, racism).
Eventually you may still move back to your country as some things cannot be overcome. In our case it was the education of our children. There was just no way we could put our kids through the Japanese school system and the living space we had was just too small to be comfortable. Hindsight has shown this to be a very wise move especially considering the experience of our kids when they have gone back to Japan for short-term attendance at Japanese schools.
If you don't want to repeat the past, stop living in it.
America, the entire world, is entering a state of perpetual tyranny because people don't have the mental furniture necessary to understand the difference betwteen freedom and fascism. Freedom is not the ability to work for Wal-Mart, eat food, and go to theme parks. Freedom is the ability to not kow-tow your head on the sidewalk when a coporate/government thug demands your DNA and your unquestioning obedience. It's moving around the world without tracking devices; tyranny needs to know where the troublemakers are, so that they may be neutralized. Freedom requires the ability to write and speak anonymously. Freedom is NOT the ability to speak your mind only in the safety of your bedroom closet, for every byway and gathering place eventually becomes private property, where now-accepted custom is that no human right to speak or gather exists. Freedom to TROUBLE THE POWERFUL without the certainty that one will be noted and dealt with. Freedom is the ability to travel and meet with people without what are in all sanity PRISON GUARDS logging your movements and recording your words, building inescapable fortresses of data with which to destroy you come the need to do so. The wedding of power and business is in fact fascism, and fascism is always, ALWAYS sold by invoking an implacable enemy that we need to defend from at all costs.
Of course, as Bush and so many others have shown, that enemy always turns out to be the people that are being protected. Recursion of the "reason" given for all fascisms. The tools used to "protect" you from dark scary people are always - always! turned in full force against you. And done correctly, silence grips the mouths of all and no one dares utter the words to describe the reality in which they live, for the consequences are too deadly. The tools necessary to trigger the use of the KBR-built detention camps being built for the last few years are in place. One bomb, and Bush declares emergency powers and the troublemakers get their asses dragged to extrajudicial prisons at the sole mercy of the Unitary Executive. The Constitution teeters, the last few rights about to be declared void by his pocket judges. And the same is true in France, and the UK, and so many other places.
It so happens that Tokyo and Chicago are vying to be considered for the Summer Olympics in 2016. I would like to put together a campaign (from a variety of people, civil liberty/privacy groups, etc) to ask that the International Olympic Committee reject any host city application whose nation requires photographing/fingerprinting as a condition of entry. Such a condition violates the human dignity principle of the IOC charter, as well as potentially surpressing visitors to that host nation (since many believe that the dropoff in visitors to the US is related to US-VISIT.
Isn't it rather easy to provide fake fingerprints? Using their kitchen-sink laboratory, the Mythbusters created false prints which were good enough to fool the most expensive fingerprint door locks. Are the scanners at airports any more sophisticated?
Here is the content of an email a friend forwarded to me, originally sent from the European Business Council in Japan to Europeans doing business in Japan. After the clipped email is the content of the MS Word attachment describing a new quick pass gate system, which it seems they got from the Japanese government.
I lost my first post which included this and a small rant. Whatever. I am quite unhappy about this, and it seems to reverse the direction they were going, but the U.S. remains the king of security theater and it is an easy political win I suppose. They already got my photo and fingerprint from my passport and old foreigner card but I know I'm going to hate this. If it is in fact required.
Forwarded Email:
---
Further to my message on new immigration procedures last week, this is to
inform you that Ministry of Justice has now issued instructions in English
on how to undergo pre-registration for the new semi automatic gate system to
be established at Narita Airport on November 20.
Please find attached the instruction document, which should be available
soon on the MoJ website.
---
[For Foreigners]
(Reference Material for the PR Dept.)
Operation of the Automated Gate
Ministry of Justice, Immigration Bureau
1. Introduction
Automated gates will be placed at Narita Airport from November 20th, 2007, in order to improve convenience of immigration procedures by simplifying and accelerating them. We would like to ask foreigners who wish to use the automated gates to provide their personal identification information (fingerprints and a facial portrait) in advance and register themselves as applicants in order to use the gate.
2. Registration as an Applicant to Use the Automated Gate
1. Required Items for Registration
1. Valid passport (including Re-entry Permit) and re-entry permission
2. Application form to use the automated gate
2. Where and When to Register
We will be accepting applications from November 20th at the locations stated below:
1. Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau
Application Counter for re-entry permission (2F) 9:00-16:00 (Except Saturdays, Sundays, National Holidays and December 29th to January 3rd)
2. Narita Airport District Immigration Office
The departure inspection area at South Wing of Passenger Terminal 1: 9:00-17:00
The departure inspection area at the South Exit of Passenger Terminal 2: 9:00-17:00
3. Registration Procedures
Submit your application form with your passport and provide fingerprints of both index fingers and a facial portrait.
Then, when the official affixes a registration stamp on your passport, the registration procedure is complete. In principle, you can use the gate from that day forward.
4. Points of Concern for the Registration
1. Time Limit of Registration
You can register until the expiration date of your passport or the expiration date of your re-entry permit, whichever comes earlier.
2. Registration Restrictions
In some cases, such as when you cannot provide fingerprints, you may not be able to register.
3. Using and Providing the Registered Information
We will manage information including fingerprints and facial portraits provided at the registration as personal information set forth in laws on protection of personal informati
The first time I went back to renew my spousal visa, I just brought the forms and the money. I didn't bring the family register or certificate of address or any of the ridiculous supporting documentation you need to get from all over Japan (okay, where we live now, and where she grew up). Why would I need all that stuff? We had just submitted it all 12 months before. I figured I was just showing up to say "Still here; still married; please renew my visa." But after waiting a couple hours to get to the counter, the lady was like, "where is all the information?"
I had no idea that I was required to apply for a new spousal visa. I wasn't renewing, I was reapplying!
And this just days before my visa was running out! I thought I was going to be deported!
My wife came in and worked her persuasive magic (that's why I married her--I saw no other choice!) and got them to count my little form as "starting the process" so I wouldn't be deported, and even talked them into giving me a 3-year visa, which they said they would not do.
The point of the story is that it doesn't matter how integrated you are; it doesn't matter if your most immediate family is Japanese; it doesn't matter if you are gainfully employed. The only thing that matters about you is that you are NOT JAPANESE, and therefore are not quite human in the eyes of the law.
Someone already mentioned this, but just look at the famous cases of foreigners being murdered over here. The last famous case (not far from where I live), a guy killed a female English teacher, nine police officers came to his house, and he escaped.
Barefoot.
BY RUNNING PAST THE COPS AND OUT HIS FRONT DOOR.
They still haven't found him. They won't.
That would require looking.
Thank you for exemplifying the attitude that lets governments get away with this shit. Do you really think Japan (or the US, for that matter) would continue this blatant abuse of their visiters' privacy if a majority of tourists decided they'd rather spend their money in a country that doesn't treat them like criminals?
The "there's nothing I can do about it, so I'll just live with it" attitude is at least as much to blame for these problems as corrupt governments.