The government has drawn up a bill requiring foreigners aged 16 and older to register their fingerprints in a government database when entering Japan as part of its campaign against terrorism, government sources said Tuesday.
The bill, which will revise the Immigration Control and Refugee-Recognition Law, will also allow the government to deport those determined by the justice minister to be terrorists, based on an antiterrorism law, the sources said.
The fingerprints would be stored in a database and checked against those of previous deportees. The database is designed to prevent those deported in the past from disguising their identities, the sources said.
The Cabinet plans to submit the bill to the current Diet session, which is scheduled to run through mid-June. The fingerprinting of non-Japanese visitors is likely to be a focus of debate because the measure could be considered a violation of human rights.
"We should not allow (the fingerprint registration) so easily," said an executive of the Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition party.
According to the current draft of the bill, exceptions would be made for South Koreans and North Koreans with special permanent resident status, guests invited by the government, and diplomats.
The bill also requires aircraft and ships entering Japan to submit a list of passengers to the government in advance.
The justice minister, based on the antiterrorism law, would be authorized to deport foreigners believed likely to carry out or prepare for activities threatening to the public. The government would also be empowered to deport non-Japanese based on "international agreements," according to the sources.
The bill is based on an antiterrorism action plan that the government adopted in December 2004. The plan also called for requiring foreigners to provide their photographs.