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Japan to require photos, fingerprints from tourists

Taiwanese tourists will be fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival in Japan beginning on Nov. 20, a visiting Japanese official said.

The measure is part of the Japanese government's efforts to fight terrorism and safeguard the well-being of foreign tourists, said Seiko Sasaki, the head of Japan's Intelligence Management Department under the Border and Immigration Agency.

Sasaki came to Taipei to explain the new measure as more than 1.3 million Taiwanese visit Japan annually.

Japan will be the second nation, after the US, to implement such a measure, Sasaki said.

The new measure will apply to almost all foreign travelers to Japan, Sasaki said, adding that those who refused would be denied entrance to the country and sent home.

Japanese permanent residency certificate holders, those under the age of 16 and guests of Japanese government chief administrators will not be subject to the new measure, Sasaki said.

Also exempt will be staff and family members of the Association of East Asian Relations, a Taipei-based quasi-official organization that handles Tokyo-Taipei relations, Sasaki said.

Foreign tourists will have their fingerprints and photos taken by customs officials, Sasaki said, adding that the entire process is expected to take just 30 seconds.
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