Call to Arms

As you may be aware by now, Japan will institute a fingerprinting system on all foreigners entering Japan from November 2007. This includes residents and tourists.

Not only is the justification for this system highly questionable, but it completely undermines the work foreign residents did to get the old fingerprinting system abolished some years ago, the records purged.

As such, I suggest foreign residents who may be considering international travel in November and December at least bring some attention to this issue the first time it arises at immigration. When the Gaijin Hanzai magazine was still being sold in Family Mart, we were encouraged not to go shouting to store managers who may have been ignorant or had little control over the situation, but to calmly hand over a letter written in Japanese explaining the reasons why Family Mart should consider removing the mook.

Japan Probe was very successful in this endeavor, as was Debito. As my Japanese skills are still not quite up to par, I am issuing a call to all JLP 1’s to send possible letters my way, addressed to Japanese immigration authorities after fingerprinting is conducted.

Nothing inflammatory, nothing suggesting open rebellion. Just a simple letter stating that although you will comply with this law, it is only because you have no choice if you want to enter Japan; state a brief history of the fingerprinting situation in Japan and how it came to be abolished the first time around; why do you disagree with the present system, etc.

Thoughts?