All foreign citizens over 16 years of age are subject to fingerprinting and photographing. Exceptions are made for ethnic Koreans, diplomats, persons coming for official events or at the invitation of the government, as well as foreigners who reside permanently in Japan and have the appropriate status. This tightening of immigration control is part of anti-terrorism measures. Biometric data will be checked against a database containing information on all deported foreigners.
The updated law also includes a provision giving authorities the right to expel anyone suspected of intending to commit a terrorist act. The law was approved by the lower house of parliament on March 30. The opposition, in the form of the Democratic Party, actively protested it, seeing in it an encroachment on the constitutional principle of non-disclosure of confidential information.
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations also actively demanded that the vote be refused, citing the fact that many of the law's provisions are vague and do not guarantee suspects the right to challenge the authorities' decision. In the last century, Japan already had a law on fingerprinting foreigners arriving in the country for more than a year. For this, Tokyo was sharply criticized by various human rights organizations, which demanded the abolition of a provision that equated visiting foreigners to criminals. It was annulled by parliament in 1999.
ITAR-TASS