Japan to fingerprint visitors, put air marshals on flights

Japan is to fingerprint all foreign visitors and put air marshals on Japanese carriers’ international flights to prevent extremist attacks, taking a cue from the United States. The government’s anti-terrorism task force said foreign visitors would also be photographed on arrival and be required to present identity at hotels. The security measures will be implemented in stages by March 2007.”We must not make Japan an easy place for terrorists to carry out their activities,” said an administrative official for the task force, which is headed by Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda. “We will introduce the measures in ways that do not put too much burden on those entering Japan,” the official said. Some permanent residents, such as ethnic Koreans born in Japan, will be exempt from the fingerprinting and photographing, the official said. He said Japan would study the way security measures had been implemented in the United States, where many foreigners have complained of rude treatment by immigration authorities since the September 11, 2001 attacks. “Many people did not like it when the United States introduced the US-VISIT scheme. I am sure Japan, too, would hear from those who oppose the plan. We will spend a year to formulate good ways to start the measures,” he said. He said some policemen would begin to be posted soon on Japanese airlines’ international routes, although details of the program such as whether the air marshals would be armed are yet to be finalized. Militants purporting to belong to Al-Qaeda have threatened to attack Japan to protest its deployment of troops to Iraq. Full Story