Prepare to Be Fingerprinted, Foreigners!

Japan is spreading the word to its neighbors about a new rule that singles out all foreigners entering the country as potential terrorists, the Taipei Times reports:

The Japanese government plans to dispatch officials to four Asian locations, including Taiwan, later this month to brief the public about the imminent implementation of a fingerprinting policy at gateways to Japan, a Japanese daily reported yesterday.

The Mainichi Shimbun said that beginning Nov. 1, all foreign visitors will have their fingerprints taken at customs upon entering into Japan after an amendment to entrance management laws is brought into force. The amendment, aimed at keeping terrorists at bay, was passed by the Japanese Diet in 2004.

Officials from the Japanese Ministry of Justice are expected to visit Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and South Korea this month to meet journalists and travel agencies to give people of the four countries and areas a better understanding of the fingerprinting policy

Confused about the new rule? We’ve posted about the Japanese government’s educational propaganda video on this rule before. You might also want to check out Keeping Pace in Japan, which is trying to organize protests against the fingerprinting rule.