Japan plans to expand fingerprinting requirements for foreigners not only upon entry into the country but upon departure as well, as part of crime prevention measures, members of the Liberal Democratic Party said Wednesday.
The government and the LDP reached the agreement at a session of the party's panel looking into foreigners staying illegally in Japan, the lawmakers said.
Those with special permanent residency, including Korean residents in Japan, will be exempt from the measure, they said.
The latest move is aimed at preventing foreigners who are suspects in criminal cases in Japan from fleeing to a third country under an assumed identity, the lawmakers said.
Last December, the government adopted an antiterrorism plan that called for foreigners to be fingerprinted upon entry into Japan.
A bill to revise the immigration law will be submitted to the Diet next year.
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