New Procedures in Entering Japan for Foreigners

[Pachipro]

So, the USA has twisted Japan's arm to set up the new policy in Japan? Please show me where this is documented. From all accounts I have read, Japan decided this on its own "merit".

I would not have access to documentation like that any more than I'd have access to reports on whether or not the US was truly asleep at the wheel or in fact driving the bus on 9/11. But if you base your opinion solely on official reports and whats available on CNN you'll never get the whole story. In fact, this is precisely the kind of thinking anyone who wishes to pull wool over someone else's eyes counts on from outside observers.

Thank you bakaKandajin for understanding what is truly happening today. Unusual for a person of your age.

Puhleeze Glenski wake up! knock! knock! The light is on, but there doesn't seem to be anybody home! This is all a plan to eventually keep track of every single individual on this planet! I can provide you with links to prove my point, but I wish you and others would do some of this research on your own as it is all out there on the internet if you google the right words.

As mentioned above you WILL NOT hear of it on your local news media as they are also controlled 100% and it is very difficult (but not impossible) to find the official US documents. Most of this was probably discussed in face to face meetings between Koizumi, Cheney, Bush, Kissinger, etc. You can rest assured, however, that Japan WAS TOLD to follow the "wishes" of the US or else.

Here is a link to an article from a US Immigration Attorney's web site written in 2004. Excerpts:

This extension of the US-VISIT program will affect many close allies of the United States, including Australia, Britian and Japan. Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for borders and transportation security, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), understands that many individuals will be disturbed by this change. However, Hutchinson says, "[the DHS hopes] that the international community will understand our new system. This step is designated to make sure the security issues will be addressed. This will be a measure to identify terrorists."

The first sentence above shoud be read between the lines to mean "and they must also comply in kind."
Therefore I guess American citizens visiting Japan are potential terrorists.

As of September 30, individuals from the following countries will be required to be photographed and fingerprinted upon entry into the U.S.: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britian, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Oh really? why not the Middle East, Indonesia, and other Muslim nations whom the US claims are the real terrorists? Because the countries listed above are the countries that were bent to the US/UK will or are part of conspiracy for the New World Order in which every single individual will be tracked. For anyone to honestly believe that it is because of potential terrorism is to be sadly naive and ignorant to the fact as to who actually runs this world and why this is being implemented.

Citizens of Canada and Mexico will not be affected by this change in process.

Oh really!? Then why are the US borders open like sieves when anyone can walk across even today, six years after 911?

Glenski, this is not to ridicule or insult you, but your comment of "From all accounts I have read..." sadly shows you are one the "sheeple" who believes everything the controlled media wants you to believe and you are in the majority for now and that's why things like the fingerprint system in Japan is being implemented without any major protest from the foreign community like the Mexicans are doing here in the US. (Where is Debito on this and why is he not organizing major protests other than writing on his web site?) You blindly believe everything you read and they depend on that. Their "education" of you and sleight of hand is working 100%. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" (The Wizard of Oz)

Apparently you need a lesson and education in Conspiracy Theories 101 (which are only "conspiracies" to those who are behind this or refuse to believe) to enlighten you and anyone else who believes it is not true. Look for a thread on it.

Like you I was very skeptical in the beginning and didn't (want to) believe a word of it because I loved my country and thought they were doing the good of the people, but thanks to the internet my views have changed in the past 10 years as have thousands of others.

I am a Conspiratorialist with a capitol 'C' as my avitar says and there is not a conspiracy I have not researched. Few are BS to be sure, but the majority have the facts and documents to back them up if you can find them. And, for now, you can find them on the internet.

 

[kakuekiteisha]

Hi Folks, sorry for cross-posting, but since most of you do not agree with the discriminatory procedure of fingerprinting foreigners at the airports, you might be interested to take action and join this demonstration here in Tokyo:

PROTEST JAPAN'S VERSION OF THE "US-VISIT PROGRAM"!

STOP FINGERPRINTING NON-JAPANESE! TOKYO

PUBLIC ACTION OUTSIDE THE JUSTICE MINISTRY, NOON, NOVEMBER 20!
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ****

DATE: Tuesday, November 20, 2007

TIME: Noon (demo will take 30 minutes to an hour)

PLACE: Ministry of Justice, Kasumigaseki, st1:City w:st="on">Tokyo (Goudou Chousha #6) (Subway Marunouchi Line to Kasumigaseki Station, Bengoshi Kaikan exit)

From November 20, 2007, the Japanese government will put into effect the Japan version of the US-VISIT Program, where all non-Japanese entering Japan (with the exception of children under age 16, Diplomats, and "Special Permanent Residents" (i.e. ethnic Koreans, Chinese, etc.) will have their fingerprints and facial photographs taken every time they cross the border.

This is none other than a system to track and tighten controls on foreigners, including residents. The government and the Justice Ministry loudly claim that this is an "anti-terror measure", but consider the US-VISIT Program, inaugurated four years ago in the United States, that this policy is modeled upon:

"It has been completely ineffective at uncovering terrorists. Rather, it has been used as a way for the government to create a blacklist and stop human rights activists from entering the country." (Barry Steinhardt, American Civil Liberties Union, Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan October 29, 2007). We see Japan heading down the same path as the US.

Japan's version of the US-VISIT Program is so laden with problems, and passed without adequate deliberation by the Diet, that we call for the government and the Justice Ministry to immediately suspend it. To his end, we will assemble before the Justice Ministry on the day of its promulgation, November 20, 2007, for a demonstration and
protest. We call on the public to join us at noon that day and lend your support and participation.

ACTIVITIES: Sound truck with speeches
Placards, Message boards (NO TO FINGERPRINTING, FINGERPRINTING NON- JAPANESE IS DISCRIMINATION, "NON-JAPANESE" DOES NOT MEAN "TERRORIST" etc.--create your own slogan and bring your own sign!)

CONTACT:Amnesty International Japan (Tel 03-3518-6777)
Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan (SMJ) (Tel：03-5802-6033)

See you there!

ENDS (translated by Arudou Debito)

 

[Taiko666]

See you there!

I'll be there... it'll be only the 2nd time I've attended a demo, the other time being the huge Stop the War demo in London in 2003. It's amazing how Bush brings out the latent protester in people!

 

[pipokun]

Gordon Brown also requests our biometric data for visa application.
It is amazing that few Japanese protest it.

 

[Glenski]

From bakakanadajin:

Quote:Originally Posted by Glenski
So, the USA has twisted Japan's arm to set up the new policy in Japan? Please show me where this is documented. From all accounts I have read, Japan decided this on its own "merit".

I would not have access to documentation like that any more than I'd have access to reports on whether or not the US was truly asleep at the wheel or in fact driving the bus on 9/11.

Then what do you base your statement on? Hearsay? Crystal balls? Where have you seen this "evidence"? Surely not in the so-called Steinhardt words: "The Japanese Version of US Visit is a product of that pressure." I could not find a copy of that speech anywhere, and you produce it from a blog as support (one that has plenty of profanity in its posts and links to life-size **** dolls)! Pretty shabby.

I don't watch CNN, but what about this report from Steinhardt?

"Barry Steinhardt, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Program on Technology and Liberty, said the U.S. watch list is "bloated and full of inaccuracy."

"The U.S. immigration policy is a total failure," Steinhardt warned, expressing concern that Japan's version of biometric verification will likely be built on a flawed foundation.

(snip)
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo last month, Steinhardt alleged that not only will the immigration system put all visitors to Japan into an antiterrorist database, it will also fail to provide the defenses against terrorism that it promises.

He questioned the credibility of the U.S. terrorist list, noting it remains unclear how it is compiled — and how people get onto or off of it.

Steinhardt pointed out that pop singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, was denied entry to the U.S. in 2004 apparently after being mistaken for another person with the same name (though spelled differently) on the watch list.

"It's full of mistakes. That is the reality in the U.S. and it's likely to become reality in Japan," Steinhardt said. "Whether or not the loss of liberty is worth the security gained is not a question — because no security is gained."

So, Steinhardt says the policy here and in the USA are crap, which is what I'm saying, too. Thank you for helping my cause.

http://japan.shadowofiris.com/politi...ngerprint-law/

Quote:I'd like to say I find the whole response to 9/11 strange, but unfortunately I can't. It was all too typical. My guess is the program in Japan is a result of gaiatsu on America's part. This is indeed quite sad.

NB: gaiatsu means foregin pressure

Again! Blog editorial, with no substantiated evidence! The author described himself as follows: "I am a long term resident in Japan.
I run a small English school out of my house, and my hobby is writing."

Program 'US Visit':
http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/programs...mage_0006.shtm

What is this supposed to prove? Your hero Steinhardt (and others) has already debunked the validity of the US-VISIT policy and the Japanese counterpart. Show me where it says that the USA told Japan that this was a good idea and that they should set it up. Until you do, it is merely speculation on your part.

Did Japan perhaps feel some pressure? I would say yes. Was that pressure solely or primarily from the USA? Prove it. Was it anything approaching the mock conversation you typed? Prove it.

 

[Glenski]

Pachipro wrote:

Puhleeze Glenski wake up! knock! knock! The light is on, but there doesn't seem to be anybody home! This is all a plan to eventually keep track of every single individual on this planet! I can provide you with links to prove my point, but I wish you and others would do some of this research on your own

It is up to you do prove the point, not me. I have read some of the earlier links (esp. about the UK), but that has already shown that not every politician is in favor of this worldwide "scheme".

As mentioned above you WILL NOT hear of it on your local news media as they are also controlled 100% and it is very difficult (but not impossible) to find the official US documents.

Good, show me. The one you pointed out from 2004 can be read in more than the way you did (between the lines). "affect close allies" and "understand our system" could easily be directed at just the tourists and businessmen who have to pass through US-VISIT, not the governments. I believe the speech this came from was a US Press conference (perhaps this one Foreign Press Centers - United States Department of State , which I laughed through), something the Prime Minister of Japan or his cronies were likely not in attendance.

Glenski, this is not to ridicule or insult you, but your comment of "From all accounts I have read..." sadly shows you are one the "sheeple" who believes everything the controlled media wants you to believe and you are in the majority for now and that's why things like the fingerprint system in Japan is being implemented without any major protest from the foreign community

Excuse me? You ask about Debito not having any effort put into this? Read his blog! Jeez! He has complaint letters out there, he makes speeches, he writes in the Japan Times. He has recently admitted he is job hunting because his own school refuses to give him a sabbatical so he can interview every politician in Japan with regards to discrimination!

Apparently you need a lesson and education in Conspiracy Theories 101

Educate me.

I am a Conspiratorialist with a capitol 'C' as my avitar says and there is not a conspiracy I have not researched.

Good, save me the time. Show me the data. Like Debito, I have a full-time job and a family to take care of. If you actually have done the research, the information should be at your fingertips just waiting to spill out. My arms and eyes are open.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

This is just one more example of why your country is going down the shi**er Glenski. Let's take something more volatile and less subversive than the erosion of civil liberties and human rights, let's look at the genesis of said process, 9/11. There's already a thread on this and I have no desire to go into specifics here, but theoretically it bears relevance. On the topic of 9/11, AMPLE scientific and eye-witness evidence exists, suggesting in even the most tacit of considerations that more investigation is required; actually I'd suggest that the evidence points to something way more sinister and that the onus now rests with the government and not the 'conspiratorialists'. Saying the evidence isn't official-looking enough or doesn't receive enough major media attention is a cop-out. Naturally undesirable material rarely makes it onto major American network TV. It's heavily controlled, much like China's information and technology, since you can't even say the s-word before 10pm on most channels.

Yet, individuals like yourself are content to fall back on the 'official' reports and documents, smugly proclaiming that since you possess the 'truth' the onus is on others to investigate, dig, and attempt to uncover what common sense already seems to dictate. And then when new evidence and reports do come to light, you simply revert to the same reports and official documents and refuse to hear any of it. Admittedly the evidence available on the current erosion of civil liberties across the world isn't abundant as it pertains to the current discussion, but similar processess happening domestically are really all the evidence you need, with this discussion existing as a clear extension of that.

Arguing that it simply isn't happening because it isn't on CNN or in the papers is akin to a Christian fundamentalist trying to convince someone that the earth's really 6000 years old and God created in 7 days by snapping his fingers and doing a little bit of tap-dancing. The position seems like one of faith more than science, as science is always willing to at least entertain two sides of a story if reasonable doubt exists.

 

[Pachipro]

"The individual is handicapped by coming face to face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists." - J. Edgar Hoover, former head of the FBI

Good, save me the time. Show me the data.

OK Glenski you have it. Look for a thread in Serious Discussions entitled "Conspiracy Theories 101" and you will have your proof as everything I reference has the facts and data to back it up as this is not the thread to continue this debate. However, I somehow doubt you will believe it anyway even with documented proof, but I will put it out there for, as a TV program once proclaimed, "The Truth is Out There" (if only you will believe it I might add.)

 

[Pachipro]

PROTEST JAPAN'S VERSION OF THE "US-VISIT PROGRAM"!

STOP FINGERPRINTING NON-JAPANESE! TOKYO

PUBLIC ACTION OUTSIDE THE JUSTICE MINISTRY, NOON, NOVEMBER 20!
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ****

DATE: Tuesday, November 20, 2007

TIME: Noon (demo will take 30 minutes to an hour)

PLACE: Ministry of Justice, Kasumigaseki, st1:City w:st="on">Tokyo (Goudou Chousha #6) (Subway Marunouchi Line to Kasumigaseki Station, Bengoshi Kaikan exit)

Glenski, if you are serious in everything you have said so far I expect you to be there without excuses that you have to work or "feed your family". That goes for DEBITO also as I care not what he says in a blog or letters he has written, etc. If he and you are so serious I believe you both will be there. If not then I know you all are just blowing smoke up our you know what as you are more talk than action.

This is more important than any excuse you may come up with for not attending. As I have said before in many posts, NOTHING will get done without NUMBERS and all your rants and posts will be for naught and Debito's blog will be just that, rants and ravings with nothing getting accomplished. I'm not surprised that it was not Debito that organized this demonstaration, but someone else who puts their money where their mouth is.

If I were in Japan I'd be there no matter what! However, I will be there in spirit and I hope there is a good turnout because this is just the beginning!

There is NO EXCUSE for every westerner not attending this demonstration! None! Unless they care not that their biometics will now be recorded forever and will be put on a terrorist watch list, but we all know it is not for terrorism that they are doing this. It is something more sinister, but most will believe that it is in the name of "safety".

 

[ArmandV]

There is NO EXCUSE for every westerner not attending this demonstration! None!

Well, that's a challenge if ever I've seen one...

 

[Pachipro]

Umm, I should've said "every westerner residing in Japan"

 

[ArmandV]

Umm, I should've said "every westerner residing in Japan"

Dammit! Now I have to cancel my flight. ;-)
Yes, we know what you meant.

 

[Glenski]

bakakanadajin:

This is just one more example of why your country is going down the shi**er Glenski.

If you are talking about the USA, I agree with you. Surprised?

bakakanadjin:

Yet, individuals like yourself are content to fall back on the 'official' reports and documents, smugly proclaiming that since you possess the 'truth' the onus is on others to investigate, dig, and attempt to uncover what common sense already seems to dictate.

I am not smug. I do not know everything, nor do I rely solely on "official reports". I am merely saying that if you have the data, show me. I can't be everywhere, but if you have some information, it behooves you to lay it out. Common sense, by the way, isn't so common, and people see things differently, so show me the data and let me judge. Otherwise, I don't have the benefit of your acumen and keen judgment, so I only base my ideas and opinions on what I know. I am very sincere, not smug, in asking you to show me the information that I have not been privy to so far. Put your data where your mouth is. And, to respond further:

Admittedly the evidence available on the current erosion of civil liberties across the world isn't abundant as it pertains to the current discussion

That is a copout. You must have had something on which to base your opinions. Please (on bended knee and with clasped hands) show me what that was.

pachipro:

Glenski, if you are serious in everything you have said so far I expect you to be there without excuses that you have to work or "feed your family".

Well, if you aren't going to listen to rational excuses, I can't help you. I'll be in Tokyo two days after that for a major conference (4-days long), and my schedule does not permit me to book time off for a 60-minute demonstration, nor can I afford to spend that much money, especially with a sick family to take care of. Sorry if this does not meet with your approval, but that meeting is not the only way people can prove their worth.

Oh, and I prefer to throw back the challenge to you. You aren't here, pachipro, but we seem to share some similar concerns about the fingerprinting policy. To me, that means there truly is no reason (including being out of the country) for you not to be there, too.

pachipro:

That goes for DEBITO also as I care not what he says in a blog or letters he has written, etc.

If you don't care what the country's major proponent against discrimination writes on his blog or proposes for others to write to the government, then you are (pardon my language) far too narrow-minded to realize much. Debito has posted/forwarded the same announcement (with more info, of course), and if he can spare the time, I'm sure he'll be there. His own schedule with speeches (that he makes, not just attends) is pretty full, but he does seem to be in many places for such events. If he can't go for some reason, are you going to say that the Hokkaido Crusader isn't serious about this?

pachipro:

Look for a thread in Serious Discussions entitled "Conspiracy Theories 101" and you will have your proof as everything I reference has the facts and data to back it up

Thank you. I will look into that when I have the time. I'm sure there will be people trying to tear apart any absence I have in this forum while I do my regular work as well as taking the time to read that info, but I do have a life outside this one topic, ok? EDIT: No such thread exists in Serious Discussions, as far back as the beginning, nor on any other thread (based on a search scan). Sounds like a conspiracy (just kidding). Where is this so-called thread?

As for this not being the place for further such debates, I wonder where you propose it might be?

 

[Glenski]

One more point about Debito and his schedule:

He will be in Tokyo 2 days before that demonstration to give a speech at the following function. So, he does get around. (And, don't ask me if he is going to the Nov.20 event. I'm not his keeper. If you want to rant and rave about him, write directly to him.)

TOKYO NOV 18, "NO BORDER" GROUP ANNUAL MEETING

======================================
NO BORDER 2007
LIVING TOGETHER IN ONE SOCIETY
Round Table Discussion
Hosted by the Volunteer Network of Foreign Residents in Japan
More Information at 首頁 - 亚博vip网页版

Objective: Following last year's event, a round table discussion session will
be held with the aim to assist individuals in their efforts in networking.
Through discussion, this event aims to create an opportunity for individuals to
consider the experiences of foreign residents and Japanese nationals with
various cultural backgrounds in Japan.

18 November 2007, 10:00 - 17:00
Hosei University Ichigaya Campus, Boissonade Tower 26F, Sky Hall
http://www.hosei.ac.jp/hosei/campus/annai/ichigaya/access.html

Entrance free. Participants are free to enter and leave the event venue as they
wish.
Active participation is welcome and encouraged during the round table discussion
session.

Part 1 (10:00 - 12:30)
Is there a place for Japanese of foreign descent in Japanese Society?
Discussing the multiplicity of what it means to be Japanese: Is there a place
for Japanese nationals of various ethnic backgrounds in Japanese Society?

Defining the Issue: Presentation of the movie, "The New Foreign Residents of
Japan" (Shin-Zainichi Gaikokujin)

Presentation 1: Gen Masayuki
Presentation 2: Elnaz Jalali, Nady

12:30 - 14:00 Lunch Break (Light lunch is served)

Part 2 (14:00 - 16:30)
What is necessary for a system to support a new Lifestyle?

Presentation 1:Kim Kyon Ju (Chukyo University)
Presentation 2:Inoue Hiroshi (Keidanren --Japan Business Federation)
Presentation 3:Arudou Debito (Hokkaido Information University)

 

[bakaKanadajin]

I am not smug. I do not know everything, nor do I rely solely on "official reports". I am merely saying that if you have the data, show me. I can't be everywhere, but if you have some information, it behooves you to lay it out. Common sense, by the way, isn't so common, and people see things differently, so show me the data and let me judge. Otherwise, I don't have the benefit of your acumen and keen judgment, so I only base my ideas and opinions on what I know. I am very sincere, not smug, in asking you to show me the information that I have not been privy to so far. Put your data where your mouth is. And, to respond further. .... You must have had something on which to base your opinions. Please (on bended knee and with clasped hands) show me what that was.

I can appreciate your point of view, and clearly I am obliged to provide some data if I want to change your mind. But I don't really need to 'win' this argument by delivering blows via a crushing statistical gauntlet of sorts, it's really just an online discussion afterall. If that's a cop-out so be it, but mind you, I could just as easily put you on the hook to show me clearly that the United States ISN'T trying to track its citizens overseas and that your civil liberties are in fact NOT being eroded.

There is a discussion already happening in the media (although as I've pointed out already not something you'll see on prime time TV) that will continue with or without our participation. Within this discussion there are different camps, namely those who believe everything's fine and those who are sounding alarms. I don't think you and I are far off, as you are sounding alarms over gaijin rights in Japan. I just think it's part of a bigger picture that's all.

Bush Lets U.S. Spy on Callers Without Courts (Published 2005)

This is one of many articles you can find that are actually fairly 'mainstream' that talk about the obvious aspects of what's going on. Whether you believe it's being done altruistically or not, it's still a clear erosion of your rights, the rest is semantics.

silicon.com is for sale | www.oxley.com

Here is an article that appears on a technology website. It simply outlines the projected amount of biometric measuring and tracking equipment that'll be out there in around a decade.

So it's kind of like being circled by a bunch of vultures before you're dead; something's amiss but you have no reason to worry yet. That's kind of the crossroad (I feel) we're at right now.

http://www.infowars.com/articles/nwo/nafta_superhighway_rfid_card_for_citizens.htm

Canada.Com | Homepage | Canada.Com

Then there are slightly more ominous looking resources that add a little bit of spin to things, but otherwise outline fairly plainly the connected dots that people are gathering about the collected going-ons of various bureaucratic entities as they pertain to the bigger picture. The US wants comprehensive, secure data ID cards, the US and Canada want better border security, the US has an illegal immigrant problem, identity theft is an increasingly bothersome issue for everyone, Canada is apparently a 'terrorist haven', the US economy is sinking, etc. And when you put it all together in conjunction with what the US is already doing, an image forms.

So basically my only wish is to point out that while everyone deserves to have data in front of them in order to make an informed decision, a little digging and an open mind is necessary to get the entire picture. You will not get all of it otherwise. I do take these apocalyptic and hoakey looking websites with a large grain of sea-salt, but by and large there is alot more reputable information out there lately which simply draws on whats already available and suggest what's to come without any mention of the four horsemen.

 

[Taiko666]

Umm, I should've said "every westerner residing in Japan"

This westerner residing in Japan went. I was in quite a prominent position as my colleague and I were amongst the first punters to arrive. In addition to the 60 or so protesters there were hordes of press and TV cameramen there, but that will probably translate into a couple of seconds of Japanse TV air time at most...

 

[Pachipro]

Well congratulations to you for attending Taiko666. At least you made the effort to let your voice be heard. With only 60 or so attending I doubt very much if anything will get done to delay this. It probably made only a few seconds on the news like you said. Oh well, I'll get to experience it when I go back in another month.

By the way was Debito there? I would expect him to have been there. I hope he was. Also, I love your new avatar.

 

[ArmandV]

That is a cool avatar!

 

[mr.sumo.snr]

Mainichi covered the protests in some detail.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/

The BBC has a report on the new procedures and check the link at the top of the page to a BBC World video report too. Welcome to the 51st State!

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Japan ups checks for foreigners

--

 

[Pachipro]

Yep it is the 51st state as the New World Order that is being formented has the EU, North and South America, and Japan as being in the same union! Why Japan is beyond me, but when I locate the link again I will post it. Sad day for all!

Anti-terrorist my butt!

 

[Glenski]

I can appreciate your point of view, and clearly I am obliged to provide some data if I want to change your mind. But I don't really need to 'win' this argument by delivering blows via a crushing statistical gauntlet of sorts, it's really just an online discussion afterall. If that's a cop-out so be it, but mind you, I could just as easily put you on the hook to show me clearly that the United States ISN'T trying to track its citizens overseas and that your civil liberties are in fact NOT being eroded.

Oh, c'mon. How can one prove negative evidence? The onus is on you. If those sites you just posted show the data, good. I'll eventually get to them. (Right now I have a 4-day conference to attend out of town.) I don't need a "statistical gauntlet", as you put it. Just one or two reasonable sites will do.

 

[mr.sumo.snr]

This morning I read the front-page story about the new immigration procedures in The Daily Yomiuri and then turned to page two to read a more in-depth article. Directly beneath the story there's the headline "Ginza robbery linked to intl crime ring" about a June 14 jewelry theft in Tokyo.

Wonderful timing eh? I guess that's why I still like the DY - you can always be sure of its conservative political leanings.

BTW the Justice Minister Kunio Hatoyama was quoted as saying: "The new entry control system will not allow the entry of dangerous people..." This guy just doesn't have a clue. Shintaro Ishihara can actually come across as making sense in comparison.


--

 

[Taiko666]

Well congratulations to you for attending Taiko666. At least you made the effort to let your voice be heard. With only 60 or so attending I doubt very much if anything will get done to delay this. It probably made only a few seconds on the news like you said. Oh well, I'll get to experience it when I go back in another month..

Thanks! It was no big deal to attend really. A number of my work colleagues declined to come since they thought it might jeopardise their visa renewals. Sad that the J-Gov has people thinking this way.

By the way was Debito there? I would expect him to have been there. I hope he was.

From my vantage point on the steps I saw somebody strongly resembling Debito in the crowd, but I can't be sure it was him. He said he was going to attend. If was him, he sat back and let others do the talking, something that would surprise his detractors.

Also, I love your new avatar.

Cheers, but alas I can't claim any credit for this- I lifted it from www.stippy.com. I've changed the avatar to reflect this.

Mainichi covered the protests in some detail.

My work colleague and I can be seen holding placards of the stippy avatar in the pics section of this article. Unfortunately, I'm the short ugly one...

Can't praise Japanese Amnesty International Japan highly enough for this one. Their attitude, courtesy and vigorous opposition to the fingerprinting madness was very uplifting.

 

[pipokun]

Fingerprinting snares visa cheats
The government wants prints from every applicant by April 2008
Some 6,000 potential immigration cheats have been caught by a scheme to fingerprint visa applicants before they travel to the UK.
UKvisas said more than 500,000 sets of prints had been taken since the scheme was introduced last year, with 6,000 matched to "people of concern".

BBC NEWS | UK | UK Politics | Fingerprinting snares visa cheats

I don't know the data of today, but about five people could not enter Japan yesterday.
And the ridiculous story was that the immigration conducted the former procedure for the people who lost their fingerprints. I bet the people would increase without fingerprints.

I am just wondering if cheaters would increase like in the UK.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Oh, c'mon. How can one prove negative evidence? The onus is on you. If those sites you just posted show the data, good. I'll eventually get to them. (Right now I have a 4-day conference to attend out of town.) I don't need a "statistical gauntlet", as you put it. Just one or two reasonable sites will do.

All I'm saying is that while there is some evidence and speculation on what IS happening, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of weight behind the opinions of those who believe it's not happening aside from the usual 'That's silly', 'That's ludicrous', 'The government would/could never do that' comments. It's a 50/50 street. Relating back to the 9/11 thing, the onus is definitely on the government's side to respond to certain issues not addressed in the commission's report. I'd imagine the sites I posted, which you're free to investigate at your leisure of course, are 'reasonable', certainly not anyone's blog or diary.