Comment by Arudou Debito

October 31, 2007 @ 9:32 am

“The issue” is unclear above, since the introductory title was removed.

This is a

SPECIAL ISSUE ON IMMIGRATION’S REINSTATEMENT OF FINGERPRINTING OF NON-JAPANESE AT THE BORDER

fyi, Debito in Sapporo

Comment by Edie Spencer

November 1, 2007 @ 11:33 am

Wiliam Saletan at Slate made the rather specious argument that at least the Japanese won’t be putting foreigners in camps, and that we treat Mexicans the same way.

But the the thing, plenty of US citizens don’t even want our goverment to treat Mexicans or who ever that way- it goes counter to what we as americans like to think we believe. And by targeting foreigners and those who are perceived as foreigners , it really does seem like a sort of Jim Crow system is being set up, right in front of everyone’s eyes.

Comment by DeOrio

November 1, 2007 @ 12:31 pm

Edie, I agree, that is a specious argument. The “at least this bad thing lacks this bad aspect of the other bad thing” argument is one of the flabbiest and vapid forms of argument there is. Frankly, what the US does is irrelevant and any direct comparison with the US system for the purpose of supporting or attacking Japan’s fingerprinting plan is pointless and unhelpful.

Jim Crow might be a bit far to go, but the plan is stupid even on a purely financial level - there is no way in which fingerprinting foreigners entering Japan is going to deter, reduce, or prevent terrorism of any kind. It is unlikely to even assist with crimes such as illegal entry or visa forgery. Just like the American system and most public airport security measures and border security measures, this step is designed to put up a good front for those who are both gullible enough to buy the propaganda that Japan is under threat from the outside and dimwitted enough to believe that collecting fingerprints and making people wait in long lines to return to their homes is making things safer.

Is there racism involved? Yes, obviously, but the deeper problem is that that racism is combined with a willful imperviousness to reason.

Comment by J

November 1, 2007 @ 8:04 pm

Hi, Debito.
Just read the last paragraph of this document prepared by the Department of Homeland Security of the US, and find who is forcing Ministry of Justice of Japan to collect fingerprints of foreigners coming to Japan.
http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/press_release_0838.shtm

Comment by DeOrio

November 2, 2007 @ 1:04 pm

Nice one, J. Entirely plausible that there’s some gai-atsu here. I don’t think this fingerprinting regime is going to go away - more likely, we’ll see it expand to other countries.

On the other hand, for financial and efficiency as well as convenience and human rights reasons, it would make sense for every country to come up with a way to exempt residents from routine, repeated biometrics. What we might be looking at is a return to fingerprints on alien registration cards.

The sad thing is that it is all so pointless - just like most of what goes on at airport security screening. It’s for show, to keep the fearful happy, and most of the fearful seem to be inclined towards a bit of xenophobia.

Want people to get along better? Encourage them to visit other countries. Most people like most places they visit. This is especially true for developed countries. People who have visited the US overwhelmingly say they liked it and liked the people in surveys. I would expect that similar things are true of Europe and Japan. Japan needs to make it easier for foreigners to visit, even stay here, so that they’ll develop an interest in and affection for the country.

Comment by Arudou Debito

November 2, 2007 @ 10:31 pm

Debito here. Thanks for the link, J. I’ve copy-pasted it up on my blog as well:

http://www.debito.org/index.php/?p=676#comment-88655

Yep, nothing like a bit of gaiatsu from your friendly neighborhood hegemon…

Comment by Ken Worsley

November 3, 2007 @ 4:03 am

Gaiatsu Hagen Dazs is my favourite flavour.