Regarding M.J. Issott's Nov. 6 letter, "Rule, as is, discriminates": Issott still maintains that it is stupid to make him count up and declare his foreign currencies upon re-entry into Japan and feels that the government discriminates against him because Japanese nationals are exempt from this rule.
Open the visa section of any Western embassy's Web site and you will see how inconvenient it is for an African, Middle Eastern person or Indian to travel. We can cry racism and discrimination all we want, but the rules are meant to make the shores of Europe and America safe from terrorists and illegal immigrants. This is what citizens demand and this is what politicians do if they want to get elected again.
Regulations will always be dictated by local politics. They may not make sense, they may be petty, racist or discriminatory, and they are NOT designed to make the lives of foreign residents and travelers comfortable.
The next time Issott faces some inconvenience upon re-entering Japan, I hope he will think of the 80 percent of the people of developing countries traveling worldwide who are randomly searched ALL THE TIME, who must provide proof they are HIV-negative and malaria-free, and who must answer silly questions like "Have you ever overstayed your visa?"
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