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Nippon Television: Very Much in Favor of Fingerprinting All Foreigners

Nippon Television (NTV), the television arm of the media group that also prints the conservative Yomiuri Shinbun, aired the following report about Japan’s new immigration system earlier this week:

The report is probably the most pro-fingerprinting I have seen so far on any Japanese TV network. As you can see, all the sound bites from foreigners at Narita Airport are in favor of the new system. They even managed to selectively edit the comments of the very angry Russian who hated having his time wasted by bureaucracy (see TBS clip in our previous update) to sound like he thought the system was very quick! Opposition to the system is portrayed as mainly a Chinese/Korean thing through the airing of news clips from those two countries, and the report is quick to remind viewers that America has a similar system, which it is now upgrading to scan all 10 fingers of foreigners at its airport immigration areas.

The pundits at the end of the report characterize the new system as necessary for safety. The female reporter says she had been to America and experienced its fingerprinting system firsthand, and she knows going through such a check is not pleasant. However, she thinks it “can’t be helped” and the best Japan can do is ensure that the immigration system runs smoothly.

29 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - November 24, 2007 at 6:35 pm

Categories: Discrimination, Foreigners in Japan, Japanese TV Tags: japan

The Overthinker

An impressive example of editing and spin. The very select comments, the way in which the five stopped at the border (was that truly by fingerprints?) were mentioned directly after the statement about preventing terrorism (even though the most danger these people probably presented was working in a menial job), then the mention that “hey, the US is even stricter” (uh, no – not with actual residents) and then the statement by the old ex-cop dude at the end when he says this fingerprinting will make it easier to identify bodies in the case of a natural disaster etc – unbelievably stupid. If that’s a serious worry, why not print all Japanese as well?

Oh, and notice to all foreigners who wish to enter illegally – use a fake Japanese passport and sail right through. Or make sure your prints aren’t on file in Japan. Since most people arrive for the first time, that shouldn’t be hard.
The Overthinker

In the Mainichi editorial linked to in the News Headlines section:
“Immigration and law enforcers also had to suffer a backlash after it was learned that fugitive members of the Japanese Red Army had been sneaking in and out of Japan using false passports. But the new system should make it impossible for repeated re-entry into the country using false passports.”
Funny thing is, this won’t affect them as they are Japanese. They won’t get fingerprinted.

“The new system should also prove effective in countering the crime gangs who leave the country following raids, come back in again once things have calmed down and then flee once more.”
Only if they’ve been caught and identified. Otherwise what’ll happen? “Sorry sir, your prints match those found at an apartment block where there was a burglary.”?

And won’t the new biometric passports make it seriously hard to fake passports any more?

Still, it’s nice to see some mild criticism….
steve dowripple

What I want to know is: Do they even WASH these devices? I don’t want to be touching something that 1,000,000 filthy people have put their fingers into (especially after they have gotten off a long flight picking their noses and going to the bathroom).

I imagine that if you were to swab one of those fingerprint scanners and put it in a petri dish you’d find all sorts of nasty stuff growing in it after a couple of days. Of course, there’s no mention of this in the news.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

If you want to wash your hands afterwards, bathrooms aren’t far from the exit of the immigration area. Just try not to put your fingers in your mouth and you should be fine.

steve dowripple

Point taken. I still think it’s disgusting. I don’t plan on leaving/entering Japan until this is stopped though. I wonder if they will prevent someone from leaving Japan if they refuse the biometric scan. What would they do…imprison you or ban you from ever re-entering?
The Overthinker

Can I pick my nose right before I do the fingerprinting?

…

Elderly and underaged people also have to go through the process?

The Overthinker

Not under 16. But 116, yes. Also people with artificial hands/limbs are no longer allowed in Japan. Saudi Arabia has issued a blanket ban on its females travelling to Japan as they would have to bare their faces to infidel Japanese immigration inspectors, and in view of other heathens and men. Okay, not all of that is strictly true, but the first sentence was. And the second.

K

[Note from Admin: Normally I'd delete such an idiotic comment, but the replies to it seem worth keeping.]

You’re all a bunch of idiots.

Let me ask you this:

Would you let some total stranger just waltz into your own house, your own home?
You would do that? You would let some complete stranger just walk right into your house and let him/her do as he/she pleases? You would do that? You would let someone you didn’t know just come into your house whether you’re there or not and let that person do whatever he/she wanted? You would do that? With no permission, with no prior approval, with no check ups, you would let someone just barge right into your private home, your family’s abode, and let that person do whatever he/she wanted?

Really?

Shoot – I wouldn’t ever want to visit your place, man, I wouldn’t feel safe nor comfortable knowing that your doors and windows are wide open to the whole world to just come in whenever and do whatever. How would I ever feel comfortable or safe at all in that situation?

Use your heads, dummies.

The Overthinker

It’s the high quality of comments that keep me coming to this blog. Especially ones as articulate and well-argued as this one – not to mention civil (who says web anonymity encourages rudeness? Nonsense!). I mean, he’s dead right – before this fingerprinting thing, Japan had no checks of any kind: there were no immigration officers at the airports giving your passport a thorough check, no need for visas for long-term stay, no requirements to register with the authorities or to carry ID – nothing.

http://beautifuljapan.org/ John

Another high quality observation in this post: Japan is really a big house.
RYO

“…before this fingerprinting thing, Japan had no checks of any kind: there were no immigration officers at the airports giving your passport a thorough check, no need for visas for long-term stay, no requirements to register with the authorities or to carry ID – nothing.”

Assuming that the administrative kinks in this new system get worked out eventually, why indeed should fingerprinting/photographing be regarded as substantively so much worse (in terms of privacy rights in particular) than all the other immigration requirements already in place and currently applied?

The Overthinker

I think there are two reasons here. First, the fact that fingerprints are being used (no one seems to be much fussed about the photographic requirements). Fingerprints being taken has a very strong connection with being a criminal suspect. Retina patterns or something else would be much less offensive in that respect.

Second is the fact that this information is required to be submitted anew every time, whereas previously it was a once-off (even for such intrusive things as getting a marriage visa).
http://beautifuljapan.org/ John

A big problem with bio-data collection systems is 1. the potential for misuse of their data, and 2. lack of transparency on how the data is used (which presumably might safeguard against (1.)). The U.S. system (which appears to be an inspiration for the Japanese one) provides many examples of what happens when the government gathers intelligence on, and then targets people without due legal process. One could claim that the Japanese authorities can be trusted to use the information fairly, but one could also be perilously naive.

I wonder if Japan will create a “no fly” list, akin to the one in the U.S.
RYO

“Fingerprints being taken has a very strong connection with being a criminal suspect. Retina patterns or something else would be much less offensive in that respect.”

Thanks for the response. But I must admit that, for myself, the association between fingerprinting and the processing of criminal suspects is not very strong. In many jurisdictions, fingerprints are also obtained from non-criminals, such as law enforcement officers. And for some reason, the association is weakened in my mind when the fingerprints are being obtained without the use of ink. In addition, I would think that retina scans would be more invasive in that they can in some cases reveal certain medical problems in the subject.

Ultimately, if fingerprints and photographs can be collected from non-citizens by immigration officials in a consistently efficient and courteous manner, I am sure that such concerns will abate over time.
The Overthinker

“I am sure that such concerns will abate over time.”

That’s quite disturbing in a way. While true, it just points out how a populace can get used to various indignities given (a) little choice, and (b) time. Anger is a hard emotion to sustain for the long-term, after all. And once we get used to this, what’s the next step?

I see the trumpeting of the five they caught the first day for trying to get back in, but what I want to know is (a) how many did they catch previously, and (b) how much money is worth it to catch a handful of previously-deported people?
hoihoi

http://kyushu.yomiuri.co.jp/news/ne_07112304.htm

it is very interesting.
a korean guy caught at fukuoka seaport by illegal passport.

he said ” I knew that Japan would demand fingerprint to enter. therefore,I was going to enter a country before that”

http://kyushu.yomiuri.co.jp/news/ne_07112304.htm
The Overthinker

So I guess they got a fair few before the new system….

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

What I want to know is, will an armless man be denied entry?

The Overthinker

No – they’ll realise ‘e’s quite ‘armless….

http://www.keepingpaceinjapan.com Turner

That’s pretty good.
RYO

Nice!

http://www.japaneconomynews.com/ Ken

I wonder how far in advance it was decided that 5 ‘blacklisted’ foreigners would be stopped on the very first day of operation.

Haven’t heard of any since then…
Sonagi

As a public school teacher who has been fingerprinted twice,I do not associate the action solely with criminal suspects. Fingerprinting is routine in background checks for many jobs.

The Overthinker

Well, it really depends which jobs and in which country. The fact that some jobs require it does not however mean that most do, or that most people do not make that association.

Andre

Why do you people care? What have you got to hide? Don’t commit a crime, you have nothing to worry about!

The Overthinker

Yes, that’s true because innocent people never get mistakenly accused, that’s for certain. I mean, our justice system and government(s) are perfect, and could never make an error, or enact new laws that make previously blameless actions a crime, thus already having data on us. Government and authority is should be allowed to know everything, see everything, because that’s the only way we’ll ever stop them terrorists. And illegal immigrants. And people with a $50 parking fine they haven’t paid. And people who borrowed Mein Kampf from the local library. And any government should have the absolute right to keep track of every person on its soil and limit their actions. We should stop blaming places like North Korea or Rwanda or Iran or China for various so-called “human rights” abuses too: after all, if you only did what the governments there want, you’d be safe too.
http://beautifuljapan.org/ John

Guantanamo.

J-ude

I don’t really get it, what’s the mindset behind the Japanese mind (not to taken literally, I mean the schemers behind this) that decides to gloss over the mostly American/European complaints and blame it on the Chinese/Koreans? Are they trying to convince the Japanese populace that the only reason there is any complaints about fingerprinting is stemming from nationalism/whatever bad blood exists between them or is this just one of those subtle ways they imply that Chi/Kor’s are more likely to commit crimes and thus they complain?

Nippon Television: Very Much in Favor of Fingerprinting All Foreigners

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