Japan to fingerprint foreigners from next month
Posted: 04 October 2007 1539 hrs

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TOKYO - Japan said Thursday it will start fingerprinting and photographing foreign visitors from next month under stringent new security measures that have been criticised by civil rights advocates.

The new measures, approved by parliament last year, are expected to take effect from November 20, a justice ministry official said.

All foreigners aged 16 or older will be photographed and electronically fingerprinted when they enter Japan, under a similar system to the one introduced by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Permanent residents, including ethnic Koreans born in Japan, will be exempt from the law, along with state guests and diplomats.

The information will be stored for potential criminal investigations.

"Pending the cabinet's approval, the measures will become effective November 20," the ministry spokesman said.

The decision is expected to be formalised on Friday.

The government says the measures are necessary to tighten security in Japan, which was alarmed by allegations that French Muslim militant Lionel Dumont entered on a forged passport and raised money for extremists.

Opposition lawmakers and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations have expressed concern that the measures may infringe on privacy.

The Korean Residents Union, which represents Koreans born in Japan who are loyal to Seoul, argues that the bill promotes the view that all foreigners are criminals, even though its members are not subject to the law.

The tourism industry is also watching closely amid efforts to boost Japan's low visitor levels.

The United States, Japan's main ally, introduced similar security measures after the September 11, 2001 attacks, to a mixed reaction by foreign visitors.

Japan hosts more than 40,000 US soldiers, who are also exempt from the new rules. It has repeatedly been threatened in Al-Qaeda statements over its deployment of troops on a humanitarian mission to Iraq.

Japan, which has a very low crime rate, does not require visas from nationals of most developed countries for short stays, although it imposes strict restrictions on immigration.

- AFP /ls