In an effort to check an increase in crimes committed by foreigners, the government is moving toward introducing compulsory fingerprinting for foreigners entering and leaving Japan -- a move that is expected to draw fire from foreign residents in Japan and possibly lead to conflicts with some foreign governments. The government plans to submit a revision of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law to an ordinary Diet session next year with the aim of implementing the new measure in fiscal 2007.

A foreigner would not only be photographed but also have his or her fingerprint taken electronically at the time of entry. Photographing and fingerprinting foreigners at the time of departure is also under consideration, according to the Justice Ministry. Foreigners classified as "permanent residents" would be exempted from the new measure.

The government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) believe that fingerprinting foreigners at departure will help to prevent those suspected of involvement in crimes in Japan from fleeing to other countries under false identities. Learning lessons from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States in January 2004 started taking fingerprints of foreigners with visas who enter the country at U.S. international airports and other major ports. The fingerprints are checked against those taken when the foreigner applied for a visa.