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Japanese Cabinet backs foreigner fingerprinting plan

Japan's Cabinet yesterday endorsed a proposal to fingerprint and photograph foreigners aged 16 or older entering the country as a way of cracking down on terrorism.

The measure would also oblige incoming aircraft and ship operators to provide passenger and crew lists before arriving, said Chiho Nakai of the Justice Ministry's Immigration Bureau.

The Cabinet will submit the legislation to parliament this session, Nakai said.

She did not know how many people would be affected; Japan logged 6.6 million foreign entries in 2004, the latest statistics available.

Exempted from being photographed and fingerprinted would be those under 16, permanent residents and those visiting Japan for official purposes or by government invitation, Nakai said.

Some critics, however, say the fingerprinting and photographing violate privacy and discriminate against foreigners. Opposition forced authorities several years ago to stop putting foreign residents' fingerprints on their residency cards.

"Not all terrorists are for-eigners, and even if such a foreigner tries to enter Japan, we may not have physical information about the person in advance," the Japan Federation of Bar Associations said in a statement last December.

But Justice Minister Seiken Sugiura defended the proposed legislation yesterday.

"I don't deny that there are issues of human rights. But you have to consider what is more important when you think about the issue of counterterrorism," he said.

Meanwhile, representatives of minority groups yesterday called for broad anti-discrimination laws to help stop rampant violations of the human rights of minorities and foreigners.

The Constitution prohibits racial discrimination, but activists told reporters in Tokyo that a more comprehensive law is needed to protect human rights.
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