The Japanese Government yesterday endorsed legislation requiring
foreigners to be photographed and fingerprinted on arrival as part
of measures to prevent terrorism.
The cabinet approved a revised immigration bill, defying
opposition from a lawyers' group and human rights activists who
argue that such steps would risk breaching human rights and
invading privacy.
The bill, due to be submitted to parliament soon, exempts children
under 16, diplomats and "special permanent residents" including
ethnic Koreans.
The revised law would allow Japan to deport any arriving
foreigner it considers to be a terrorist.
It also would require planes and ships arriving in Japan to submit
lists of passengers before arrival.
Japan's Federation of Bar Associations says the plans should be
scrapped because fingerprinting foreigners violates a
constitutional requirement to treat people with respect.
The use of biometrics - identifying individuals through
techniques such as retinal scanning, face recognition and
fingerprinting - raises questions about privacy and control of
personal information, the lawyers' group say.
"There may be a problem (with human rights), I think. But
domestic policies to reduce illegal immigrants and anti-terrorism
measures are more important," Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura told
reporters after the cabinet approval of the new bill.
"I believe the bill will secure understanding from the Diet
(parliament) and the public."
A police report in December said Japan was at risk of attack
because of its close links with the United States.
Fingerprinting and photographs were introduced at US immigration
checkpoints in 2004.
But the issue is a particularly sensitive one in Japan, where
local governments were long required to fingerprint all resident
foreigners, including "special permanent residents" of Korean and
Chinese descent.
Many of these residents are descendants of those brought to
Japan as forced labor before and during World War II. Local
government fingerprinting was halted in 2000.
(China Daily March 8, 2006)
