How to express your discontent with Japan’s Fingerprinting Policies.
Posted on | December 12, 2007 | 2 Comments
As most, if not all, non-Japanese people know, the government started fingerprint and photograph all foreigneres (except a few special classes which basically included 3rd generation Korean Japanese, diplomats, and invited guests).
Many people like myself feel that it is a blantant invaison of my privacy.
Here are just a few things that you can do to express your discontent.
- Sign This petition
- Write your ambassador
- Write the Japanese embassy in your home country
- Give your complaint in the form of a letter to the person that is taking your photograph and fingerprinting you at the airport.
- Somewhat less practical, but I found this t-shirt you can wear
Its also useful to point out the impact on tourism (as that brings in big dollars) that such a xenophobic policy will have.
Category: Day-to-Day
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2 Responses to “How to express your discontent with Japan’s Fingerprinting Policies.”
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December 14th, 2007 @ 7:31 pm
I don't think that will make any difference, particularly the second point in your list. Also, I doubt that this will have any impact on tourism. People who want to visit the country will not mind the procedures – same applies to the US, unless your name is Yussef Islam
Other countries may greatly welcome this step as it represents a good opportunity to get access to the fingerprint data of their own nationals or that of other countries. US authorities, for example, do not fingerprint their own people, however, they will be able to utilize Japan's data collected from US nationals immigrating into Japan. That's my only concern.
In order to make this country more secure, I would recommend a series of other measures that should take place before considering fingerprinting people. Yet I don't see the point in expressing my discontent as I'm just a guest here.
December 14th, 2007 @ 7:50 pm
Bastian,
I do share your concern regarding countires obtaining fingerprint data of their own nationals from the Japanese government. There have been long standing agreements between countres to spy on each others citizens and then share the information because most countries have strict rules on spying on their own nationals.
Regarding the ambassador, the impact to tourism is likely to be fairly small, but I feel that the more people that stick their hand up and actually write their ambassador saying that they feel that the new measures are an racists (as it only applies to non-Japanese) invaison of your privacy the more likely that the amabassor will actually say something in public.