In November, Japan became only the second country in the world (after the United States) to introduce mandatory fingerprinting and photo-taking at all international entry points, as part of beefed-up "antiterrorism" measures by the Ministry of Justice.

The move was greeted by howls of protest from human rights groups, lawyers and foreigners, who warned that it would help create the perception that "outsiders" disrupt domestic harmony and fuel crime. Many questioned the need for such elaborate security measures in a country where the chance of being attacked by a terrorist is about on a par with being struck by lightning.

"Why pick on us?" said one angry letter-writer to The Japan Times, calling the initiative "discriminatory" and "stupid." Another critic was even harsher. "The motive of the new biometrics clearly is not stopping terrorism, but rather a new expression of Japan's deep-seated racism and xenophobia," wrote Donald M. Seekins.