New immigration policies: Japan to fingerprint and photograph visitors (merged)
Nov 29, 2007, 3:46 am
#226
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Personally, I consider the no multiple citizenship rule to be just as much a sign of Japan's lumbering, pedantic and inflexible bureaucratic process which loves to pigeonhole and categorise people. Someone somewhere probably has nightmares at the thought of opening a family book for someone just like you. I guess this is kind of a xenophobia too. (Spain now forces new citizens to take on two surnames by the way - this means the systems stay as they are and its the people who change)
I agree with you about Japanese inflexible bureaucracy. The reason why I’ve had to travel to Japan several times recently was due to family bereavement and I had enough experience of Japanese bureaucracy and wondered why the term “red tape” was not invented in Japan. (OK, Japanese have “oyakusho shigoto”.) As a non-resident with a very common Japanese name, I found it amusing that in addition to a copy of the family register (koseki) and my UK passport (the only photo ID I have) the only thing that proved I was the person I claimed to be was a “hanko” (seal) that I could buy from a corner shop!
As you probably know Japan does allow dual nationality to people up to the age of 22, when they have to make a choice. The status of people who had dual nationality before 1985 is unclear. Remember the Fujimori saga?
Nov 29, 2007, 4:28 am
#227
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Fujimori is hardly the best example when considering dual nationality.
The people I know are older than 22 and didn't make a choice. They are Japanese in Japan (and at their embassies) and are Japanese and English (or American) outside of these realms.
My husband returned to Japan for similar reasons to you but needed to stay there as those circumstances were ongoing. Although he had been in Britain for long enough to be offered citizenship, once he had been in in Japan for a few years he was no longer able to return on anything except a visitors visa. As someone who was schooled in Britain, who speaks English as his first language and who is more or less illiterate in Japanese, this would hardly seem fair either. But that was his choice.
The law changed in the UK too, From the early 80s onwards we found that my mother (who never took up British citizenship - and never will) would have lost any right to live in the UK had my Father died. Now that the UK & Spain are both in the EEC this has probably changed, but this was a serious threat to my family when my brother and I were going through School.
All countries have dreadful policies. I'm not sure it's right to say any are worse or more xenophobic than others. They're all appalling when you find yourself on the wrong side of them.
The people I know are older than 22 and didn't make a choice. They are Japanese in Japan (and at their embassies) and are Japanese and English (or American) outside of these realms.
My husband returned to Japan for similar reasons to you but needed to stay there as those circumstances were ongoing. Although he had been in Britain for long enough to be offered citizenship, once he had been in in Japan for a few years he was no longer able to return on anything except a visitors visa. As someone who was schooled in Britain, who speaks English as his first language and who is more or less illiterate in Japanese, this would hardly seem fair either. But that was his choice.
The law changed in the UK too, From the early 80s onwards we found that my mother (who never took up British citizenship - and never will) would have lost any right to live in the UK had my Father died. Now that the UK & Spain are both in the EEC this has probably changed, but this was a serious threat to my family when my brother and I were going through School.
All countries have dreadful policies. I'm not sure it's right to say any are worse or more xenophobic than others. They're all appalling when you find yourself on the wrong side of them.
Nov 29, 2007, 5:10 am
#228
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http://reentryjapan.blogspot.com/200...-using-to.html
If you would like to protest make a copy and include it with your passport when you arrive in Japan.
If you would like to protest make a copy and include it with your passport when you arrive in Japan.
Nov 29, 2007, 5:43 pm
#229
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The next step....
Japan Times Online 11-30
Cities call for national registry of foreign residents
GIFU (Kyodo) A group of cities with communities of non-Japanese residents has called on the central government to establish a national registry to help keep track of foreign residents who decide to move to other places.
Foreign residents are required to register with the governments of the municipalities where they reside, separately from Japanese residents, but some do not reregister after moving elsewhere and end up being left out of local administrative services.
GIFU (Kyodo) A group of cities with communities of non-Japanese residents has called on the central government to establish a national registry to help keep track of foreign residents who decide to move to other places.
Foreign residents are required to register with the governments of the municipalities where they reside, separately from Japanese residents, but some do not reregister after moving elsewhere and end up being left out of local administrative services.
Nov 29, 2007, 6:42 pm
#230
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I'll be entering Japan on Sunday, through Narita. Any recent visitors care to share experience on their wait time to get through immigration? Any worse than usual since the new policy was implemented?
Nov 29, 2007, 10:08 pm
#231
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Japan Times Online 11-30Cities call for national registry of foreign residents
GIFU (Kyodo) A group of cities with communities of non-Japanese residents has called on the central government to establish a national registry to help keep track of foreign residents who decide to move to other places.
Foreign residents are required to register with the governments of the municipalities where they reside, separately from Japanese residents, but some do not reregister after moving elsewhere and end up being left out of local administrative services.
GIFU (Kyodo) A group of cities with communities of non-Japanese residents has called on the central government to establish a national registry to help keep track of foreign residents who decide to move to other places.
Foreign residents are required to register with the governments of the municipalities where they reside, separately from Japanese residents, but some do not reregister after moving elsewhere and end up being left out of local administrative services.
Nov 30, 2007, 5:52 am
#233
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I heard an interesting story from an acquaintance today -
A non-Japanese employee of a certain company in Taito Ku stole the company seal before quitting his job. Nobody noticed that it was missing until the company received a letter in the mail from Tokyo Immigration office with regard to a visa application in some stranger's name, (a visa which had already been issued with the company listed as the employer).
The owner of the company immediately contacted the immigration office in Shinagawa to let them know that there was a case of fraud - and the visa holder was a stranger to the company.
Immigration first tried to scare off the owner by telling him that he could get into trouble for not reporting his missing company seal. Then they told him not to bother mentioning the visa to the police, because "you'll just end up filling out a lot of paperwork for nothing and besides, the visa will expire in a year."
Perhaps it would be an embarrassment to the immigration officers if the police were to be alerted about this incident in which they issued a visa to an illegal, without taking sufficient steps to verify that he was employed by the company. Or perhaps they're just so busy taking fingerprints from the hundreds of law abiding foreigners arriving at the airports that they don't have time to investigate known cases of fraud.
Funny old world, eh?
(Caveat lector -- This story is now "third hand" - my acquaintance heard it from the owner of the business involved).
A non-Japanese employee of a certain company in Taito Ku stole the company seal before quitting his job. Nobody noticed that it was missing until the company received a letter in the mail from Tokyo Immigration office with regard to a visa application in some stranger's name, (a visa which had already been issued with the company listed as the employer).
The owner of the company immediately contacted the immigration office in Shinagawa to let them know that there was a case of fraud - and the visa holder was a stranger to the company.
Immigration first tried to scare off the owner by telling him that he could get into trouble for not reporting his missing company seal. Then they told him not to bother mentioning the visa to the police, because "you'll just end up filling out a lot of paperwork for nothing and besides, the visa will expire in a year."
Perhaps it would be an embarrassment to the immigration officers if the police were to be alerted about this incident in which they issued a visa to an illegal, without taking sufficient steps to verify that he was employed by the company. Or perhaps they're just so busy taking fingerprints from the hundreds of law abiding foreigners arriving at the airports that they don't have time to investigate known cases of fraud.
Funny old world, eh?
(Caveat lector -- This story is now "third hand" - my acquaintance heard it from the owner of the business involved).
Last edited by jib71; Nov 30, 2007 at 6:01 am
Nov 30, 2007, 6:16 am
#235
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I heard an interesting story from an acquaintance today -
A non-Japanese employee of a certain company in Taito Ku stole the company seal before quitting his job. Nobody noticed that it was missing until the company received a letter in the mail from Tokyo Immigration office with regard to a visa application in some stranger's name, (a visa which had already been issued with the company listed as the employer).
The owner of the company immediately contacted the immigration office in Shinagawa to let them know that there was a case of fraud - and the visa holder was a stranger to the company.
Immigration first tried to scare off the owner by telling him that he could get into trouble for not reporting his missing company seal. Then they told him not to bother mentioning the visa to the police, because "you'll just end up filling out a lot of paperwork for nothing and besides, the visa will expire in a year."
Perhaps it would be an embarrassment to the immigration officers if the police were to be alerted about this incident in which they issued a visa to an illegal, without taking sufficient steps to verify that he was employed by the company. Or perhaps they're just so busy taking fingerprints from the hundreds of law abiding foreigners arriving at the airports that they don't have time to investigate known cases of fraud.
Funny old world, eh?
(Caveat lector -- This story is now "third hand" - my acquaintance heard it from the owner of the business involved).
A non-Japanese employee of a certain company in Taito Ku stole the company seal before quitting his job. Nobody noticed that it was missing until the company received a letter in the mail from Tokyo Immigration office with regard to a visa application in some stranger's name, (a visa which had already been issued with the company listed as the employer).
The owner of the company immediately contacted the immigration office in Shinagawa to let them know that there was a case of fraud - and the visa holder was a stranger to the company.
Immigration first tried to scare off the owner by telling him that he could get into trouble for not reporting his missing company seal. Then they told him not to bother mentioning the visa to the police, because "you'll just end up filling out a lot of paperwork for nothing and besides, the visa will expire in a year."
Perhaps it would be an embarrassment to the immigration officers if the police were to be alerted about this incident in which they issued a visa to an illegal, without taking sufficient steps to verify that he was employed by the company. Or perhaps they're just so busy taking fingerprints from the hundreds of law abiding foreigners arriving at the airports that they don't have time to investigate known cases of fraud.
Funny old world, eh?
(Caveat lector -- This story is now "third hand" - my acquaintance heard it from the owner of the business involved).
Nov 30, 2007, 7:46 am
#238
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The next step....
Nov 30, 2007, 8:11 am
#239
Join Date: May 2001
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Arrived on NW from HKG
Now I know what foreigners have felt like coming to the USA who have been doing this for some time.
Nov 30, 2007, 8:21 am
#240
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,960
There were several international flights that arrived on Thursday around 1:30pm. I was on NW 002 from HKG and the entire process only took 15 minutes of waiting. It was rather painless.
Now I know what foreigners have felt like coming to the USA who have been doing this for some time.
Now I know what foreigners have felt like coming to the USA who have been doing this for some time.