Japan began on Tuesday (Nov 20) fingerprinting and photographing all foreigners aged 16 or over upon their entry as an anti-terrorism measure.
An immigration worker at Narita International Airport teaches a foreigner arriving in Japan how to use the digital fingerprint reader (Image courtesy of Mainichi)
I believe most foreigners in Japan are not welcoming this new immigration system. Personally I find it rather insulting… travellers that are visiting a country should be treated as guests and not like criminals or terrorists by default.
I can understand the motives behind Japanese decision to implement this anti-terrorism measure, but I can’t agree with it. The new system is not going to stop me from visiting Japan though; there are too many things to see in the country despite the extra hassle.