The procedure requiring foreigners to be fingerprinted and photographed when they enter Japan has stirred up controversy. Many people, especially foreigners who are living in Japan, claim that the procedure is an act of discrimination. However, as the world becomes borderless, I think this is one of the best ways to protect the country from being attacked by foreign criminals and terrorists.

As the new immigration check targets almost all foreigners visiting and living in Japan, regardless of nationality and ethnicity, it sounds far fairer than singling out a certain group of people by imposing this kind of measure on one nationality of ethnicity exclusively.

I also think that even though there might be some people who find a way to get through such a check, nothing will ever change if we do not take any action. I believe this is a good first step and that Japan's ports of entry are the first place to block terrorists and criminals from entering the country.

I have some sympathy with the view expressed by Michael Driver in the Nov. 17 Readers' Voice.

I have been resident in Japan for 12 years, I am married to a Japanese national but, like Mr Driver, I will still qualify for the same treatment at Narita!

Having nothing to hide, I don't object strongly to the new procedure, but the long delays at the checkpoint, especially if you're accompanied by family members who have to wait for you will be a pain. As it is highly unlikely that the Japanese authorities will scrub this procedure for permanent residents, why don't they create a fast lane for them? Having P.R. status surely means you've earned a few Brownie points of trust over the years you've been here? A compromise solution to a rather sticky problem desu ne?

I fully agree with Alexander Jacoby's opinion of the eikawa system in Japan, but I would like to add one more thought: It's true that the large chain English-language schools make big money from their students and only care about profit. But on the other hand, I think many students who enroll at such schools seem to assume that they can easily learn a language if they have a good (= foreign) teacher and pay a lot of money, whereas after all it is rather hard work and a lot of study by individual students that bring fluency in a language.

Bruce Wallace did an excellent job in his article "Sumo scandal spotlights Japan's autopsy problem" in the Nov. 24 Weekly. Alas, in my prefecture of Aichi only 3 percent (far less than Japan's average) of bodies are medically examined! We have a lot of work to do.

After reading the article on the back page of the Nov. 17 issue, "China's coal mines costing countless lives," I realize there are two aspects to modern China. While the country is said to have a bright future, it also needs to deal with humanitarian issues as it modernizes.

The Japan Times Weekly: December 1, 2007
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