Another Japanese 'Kodak Moment'
Posted Tuesday, October 30, 2007, 7:27 PM by Lonely Planet
Get your hands out and your cheesiest grin at the ready as Japan starts finger printing and photographing all foreigners entering the country in an anti-terrorism policy that is causing outrage among foreign residents and human rights activists.
Immigration officials will run 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 - or those who refuse to cooperate - will be denied entry and deported.
Only some permanent residents, diplomats, and children under 16 will be exempt from the measures after the system goes into effect on November 20.
While similar to the "US-VISIT" program introduced after 9/11 in the United States, Japan will also require resident foreigners - of which there are about two million - to be fingerprinted and photographed every time they re-enter the country.
Amnesty International has declared the policy "discriminatory" and says it could "encourage xenophobia".
What do you think of Japan's new system?
Labels: Asia and Pacific, Travelsnitch
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7 Comments:
Is "Amnesty Int'l" doing anything for the US "xenophobic" finger print and photo policy? or the author?
Thanks for the information. Good to know.
I honestly fail to see how this new policy will create xenophobia.
But - as Soylista cleverly pointed out - is there any criticism towards the US new similar policies ?
If it's for strictly security reasons, that's their perogative. Nothing particularly xenophobic about it, they're just making it harder for people with criminal records to slip in unnoticed.
And besides, I don't think you can do anymore to encourage xenophobia in Japan. They've pretty much already got that reputation as it is.
Nothing particularly xenophobic about it?
This is a good idea. I wish Indonesia and the Philippines would do it.
Nothing xenophobic about security precautions.
they are that strict with their travel rules, i hope other countries like the Philippines implement that anti-terrorism measure of Japan.
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