Fingerprints

When I was booking my flight to Japan the travel agent warned me that upon entry to Japan foreigners must now have their fingerprints and photographs taken. Is this following in America's footsteps?

I can only imagine how much longer immigration is going to take, not to mention feeling like a terrorist despite having done nothing wrong.

Have you experienced this yet? How was it?

Comments

[Tim]

I went through it last Dec and it wasn't as bad as it seems.

At first I thought it would cause huge delays, and that it'd make me feel unwelcome, but everything worked straight away and the staff were friendly, so I was through the gates in no time.

Ended up having the best trip in Japan so far.

Though I still haven't blogged it yet. Been to busy and lazy..

How do you find the time to keep keep updating your blogs?

[quik]

It slows everything right down.

Right Index Finger. Apply Pressure, more pressure, more pressure, that it. Now look at the camera, chin up. Wait, wait, you blinked, take it again, wait wait.

And on top of that all the normal questions.

Everyone will be following in these foot steps over time.

[Darren]

Tim,
Thanks for dropping by. It's good that the process went smoothly for you. I hope the same happens for me.

At times it's hard to find time to maintain my blogs but I do try to keep them relatively up-to-date. Comments and feedback like yours make it worth the effort.

Quik,
It doesn't sound like you had such a pleasant experience with the fingerprinting and photographing. I presume you are talking about the USA?

Did the people doing the checks suspect everyone or were they pleasant folk 'just doing their jobs'?

[Kenny]

When I visited America last year, we were expecting scans of our eyes, delays, etc, however it was all a very simple, reasonable process.

At the USA immigration, which I think is the same as Japan's now, all it was, was one or two fingerprints(put your finger on a scanner for a couple of seconds), a quick digital photo, a couple of polite questions from the friendly immigration staff.

I think its the same in Japan, and you have to remember the reason they are doing this is to keep Japan in the safe, excellent state that it is now.

BTW I hope Japan never ends up like the UK, unsafe streets etc.

BTW2 when I went to Japan the first time(10 years ago) our "gaijin cards" all had finger prints instead of signatures.

Initially I thought this was some kind of infringement on my civil liberties(or something... I had just left Uni back then :) but a couple of years later, I was actually a bit sad when they did away with the fingerprints and replaced them with signatures.(I guess I liked Japan the way it was and didn't like the idea of change.. )

However, if/when they introduce these checks at Heathrow, expect poor organisation, long delays, unfriendly staff... :(

But hey, that’s why Japan is such a great place :)

[Darren]

Hi Kenny, thanks for the input.

If the process isn't too time consuming then I guess I can live with it too, though like you I do feel it infringes on your human rights. Surely a passport is good enough? Or are they too easy to forge?

I didn't know that 'gaijin cards' used to have finger prints on them. I much prefer the signature that I had on my card, to be honest. Having to carry such a card around makes you feel alienated as it is.

If they were to introduce similar checks at Heathrow I share your fears. But you can imagine the authorities being slow to produce a proper computer/database system and being able to manage it properly. Maybe it won't happen for quite some time.

[Mark]

I came back into Japan in January and was fingerprinted then. But I had a re-entry permit so I was able to skip the LONG queue and instead stand in a queue of only a few people. So for me it took no longer than the last time I entered without the fingerprinting.

But looking at the LONG queue for regular visitors, I wouldn't want to be waiting there when the airport is busy...

The worst part in my opinion though, is that even when you have a Japanese spouse and children, you have to line up separately to them and get fingerprinted as a foreigner EVERY TIME you enter the country. Even if you're officially a resident of Japan.

[Darren]

I used to remember being proud of being able to avoid the long queues with my foreigner's card!

Last year the normal queue was absolutely massive and they hadn't even introduced the fingerprinting process. Are you sure the fingerprinting/photography was to blame for the delays?

Yeah, being fingerprinted each and every time you enter Japan is pretty rough. Don't you feel like a convict?