As a five-year-long resident of Japan, a businessman with a family, I am deeply offended by the government's decision to fingerprint and photograph my family and me (from Nov. 20), even though we hold "alien"-cards and pay taxes in Tokyo.
As a German and therefore a member of the European Union, I will be writing to both governments asking them to consider a "quid pro quo" on this issue. And I urge other EU members to do so, too. This is quite common in international law (as can be seen in a number of cases concerning trade and tariffs).
I suggest fingerprinting and photographing the hundreds of thousands of Japanese tourists traveling through Europe every year: The "OLs" on one-week whirlwind tours of European must-see places such as Munich, Paris and Venice. Or the little old ladies and their retired husbands. You just can't be careful enough. God knows what terrorist device they hold in their closely guarded designer handbags and expensive suitcases.
Apart from enhancing security in Europe, it will also serve as a great "entree" and will underscore and strengthen such long-honored European traditions as friendliness, warmth and hospitality in the eyes of Japanese tourists and the public. I don't want to be cynical here, but it actually might take average Japanese citizens to "feel" what these types of degrading procedures entail to actually change the Japanese government's behavior.
By the way, the same holds true for U.S.-EU immigration procedures. The EU has, unfortunately, not retaliated against America's terrorist-hunting customs procedures for its citizens.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.