mytest
Hi Blog. No matter where you are in Japan, if you want to play ball and preregister your biometric data, go to Tokyo. More on the difficulties involving that procedure here, from somebody who made the trip from Kobe and had a pretty lousy time once there.
Never mind–even permanent residents are still gaijin and potential terrorists, so lump it. It’s for our safety–“our” especially meaning us “kokumin”. How many more hoops will Japan make its residents jump through before it realizes this will lead to an exodus of business and money? Text courtesy of Shaney. Arudou Debito
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Please find the attached “Application Form for User Registration of the Automated Gates” and “User’s guide”. If you wish pre-registration, please complete the application form and bring in the application counter.
To: All foreign national employees,
We would like to advise you of an important change in immigration procedures for foreign nationals.
The change is intended to prevent terrorism and is due to a partial amendment of the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act.
With effect from 20 November 2007, fingerprints and a facial photograph will be taken as mandatory requirement when foreign nationals enter Japan.
This will not only apply to tourists but also to holders of foreign registration card holders and/or re-entry permit.
If foreign nationals refuse to provide fingerprints and a facial photo, the entry will be denied and such person will be asked to leave Japan.
For details, please view the video “Landing Examination Procedures for Japan are Changing!” available in English, Chinese and Korean.
The video runs for approximately five and a half minutes.
For English http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg1203.html
For Chinese http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg1204.html
For Korean http://nettv.gov-online.go.jp/prg/prg1205.html
Also here is the link in English & Japanese.
English: http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/keiziban/happyou/video.html
Japanese: http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/keiziban/happyou/biometric.pdf
At the same time, from 20 November 2007, Narita airport will implement an automated gate system.
The system is designed to simplify and accelerate emigration and immigration procedures.
Foreign nationals who wish to go through the automated gate are required to pre-register by submitting their ID (face photograph & fingerprint).
The application for registration will be accepted at Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Shinagawa or Tokyo Immigration Bureau Narita Airport Branch.
You will be asked to submit your passport and the registration application form, and your face will be photographed and both index fingers be fingerprinted.
Please find attached the English translation of the official document by Ministry of Justice. 
ENDS
11 comments on “Primary source info: Application Form for NJ preregistry of fingerprints”
Note this…
“To: All foreign national employees,”
What about foreigners who are employers, or self-employed? Further evidence of the Japanese mindset that foreigners are all serfs.
For anyone interested; I just came from the Tokyo immigration bureau to pre-register my FP.
Here are my observations: There is only 1 staffed counter for pre-registration with 2 cameras and 2 FP machines. You are required to fill in a 1 page document; standard stuff like name, nationality, address, re-entry number etc etc. I didn’t have to go through any interview, it was pretty quick actually.
After your picture is taken and your FP recorded, you will get a stamp in your passport that says you are “Exempt” and are entitled to use the automated gates at Narita Airport.
I was pretty fortunate because the queue for pre-registration was very short.
If we allow them to pre-regist, they will think we gave up and feel OK with it. Do what you want, I can stuck with foreign line. Pre-register and what? it does not change anything, just instead of 2h you will get thorugh immigration in 30min
Actually, I would think the foreigners that would really want to give immigration hell would not pre-register. After all, the harder it is on them, the better it is for us.
Don’t preregister! It is cooperating with your oppressors. The idea of going to them voluntarily and asking them to please take my fingerprint is abhorrent. I was forced to give it to them enough times in the 70s and 80s. Boycotting preregistration is one of the few means of protest we have. And as Adam just said, what does it gain you? They can stick those few minutes. Don’t cooperate with this pernicious system. Boycott preregistration!
“I was pretty fortunate because the queue for pre-registration was very short.”
Yeah, I hope it was. We’d live in some crazy-bizarro world if “gaijin” happily lined up to pre-surrender bio-data like kids at an amusement park.
I love the way Japan is able to dream up new and fun ways for the rest of the world to laugh at it. And who says the Japanese are without a sense of humor?
Is Japan really a country the world can take seriously? No, of course not. Well not as long as academics, authors, and journalists are able to poke fun at it’s national policies!
I don’t have much of an option: a three-hour layover between Narita and Haneda to catch my flight to Kagoshima. If I don’t pre-register, won’t happen.
“I was pretty fortunate because the queue for pre-registration was very short.”
Yeah, except that you had to go all the way down to Shinagawa to do it and book time out of your day (to be fair, you might work near Immigration, but realistically not a whole lot of us do — even people who work near Shinagawa proper would have to go out onto the island to get to Immigration).
Seriously, once every three years is enough for me, thanks. Don’t they think that foreigners have jobs, or at least something better to do than to go down to Shinagawa, walk or take the bus another 2km to the immigration office, and then stand around so we can surrender our biometric data?
Just thought of something… if they’re going to fingerprint foreigners on the way out of the country as well as when returning, and they also want fingerprints when you renew your alien card, is it not now completely impossible for a resident alien to avoid giving the government their fingerprints? You can’t remain here past the length of your visa, and you can’t even leave the country in protest!
Mark in Yayoi wrote “Just thought of something… if they’re going to fingerprint foreigners on the way out of the country as well as when returning, …”
Is this really the case? I thought it was only a process to be endured on the way into Japan – not on the way out too. Please clarify.
Lisa in Sapporo, but on her way out.
–YOU ONLY GET ZAPPED ON THE WAY IN. DEBITO