Japan starts fingerprinting all foreigners

Source: Manila Standard

TOKYO—Japan began fingerprinting and photographing foreigners entering the country Tuesday in an effort to tighten security, despite concerns by rights groups and business leaders.

Japan modeled the tighter immigration controls on the controversial US-Visit system launched in the United States after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, which keeps biometric data of foreign visitors.

“This has the very large objective of preventing terrorism,” Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama said as he slid his two index fingers onto a scanner at Narita airport near Tokyo in a demonstration for reporters Monday.

“Privacy issues are a matter of perception, and so I would like everyone to bear with us. Since we are treating individuals’ private information it will be strictly protected,” he said.

Read more: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news5_nov21_2007

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The insanity is spreading.

So long as I have the USA to snark on.

of an article in the editorial section of DU from an English paper re police state and some of the comments postulated that the govts know things are going to get bad and they are getting their ducks in a row to keep the populations in line. It makes you wonder.

dug up the link, comments at the paper are interesting
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=321516&mesg_id=321516

Things are going to get VERY bad.

There was an article a few months ago where the Justice Minister said it was related to the hated US-Visit program.

Tourism from Japan is way down in the U.S., mostly because of all the security measures.


The number of Japanese visiting the United States declined from 5 million in 2000 to 3.6 million last year. The numbers have begun to increase, but by 2010 they're still projected to be 19 percent below 2000 levels. During this same span (2000-2010), global tourism is expected to grow by 44 percent.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/70991

I came in through Narita airport with a large duffel bag.

The man who screened me asked one question: "Are you here on holiday?"

"Yes, on holiday."

"Thank you very much. Enjoy your visit."

He didn't even ask me to open my bag.

Can't have any of those damned animal-rights folks turning up to take
inconvenient photographs or protest in a non-violent manner at the
Japanese government's support for illegal & immoral actions ...
:eyes: