National and International
		Does "war on terror" guarantee us safer life?
	Every person hopes to lead a life without any fear… Yes, all will agree to that without a doubt. Yet, extreme expressions such as "decline of public safety" or "war on terror" surround us every day. Do we make foreigners scapegoats for the causes of such problems? And, that in wanting brief relief on these concerns, do we discriminate or exclude foreigners with different culture and religion? What's happening behind the rhetoric "war on terror" and "public safety control" is, in fact, broadening the control by the central government　at the expense of the foreigners. Does this policy guarantee us true "safety"? Why don't we stop and think before taking "war on terror" for granted? The waterside policy, the profiling of foreigners by "biometric" information, and computerization and unification of entry=departure related & residential information are introduced for "war on terror", "counter measure on crimes committed by illegal migrants", "policy on reducing overstay by half", "pursuing convenience". These policies are very　unsettling in the way that foreigners are seen only as subjects of control and scrutiny. Further, the bill violates the basic human rights. What's happening? The Immigration Law is on the verge of transition. According to the new bill, fingerprints and pictures are taken upon arrival. Also, if a visitor refused to show his/her passport when asked at a hotel, he/she could be reported to the police. Police questionings on foreigners increase every time a major case occurs. Foreigners are asked to show their Foreign Registration ID when walking along the street. And police would come by one's house just because the person practices a certain religion. These regulations can bring about feelings of anxiety to foreigners, and even amongst those who are simply walking. Can you imagine how these stigmatized foreigners feel? Currently, the registration for foreigners is processed at the local town office. However, the proposal states that it ought to be processed at the Immigration Bureau of Japan. The local office is located adjacently, but there aren't many branch offices of Immigration Bureau. Therefore, foreigners must make a trip to a remote branch office every time they transfer house or workplace. What is the problem? The central government sees foreigners as subjects of control. The main purpose of establishing "Intelligence Center" (a center where unification of biometric data and entry=departure related & residential information are complied) is to utilize the information for controlling public safety. This, in fact, reflects the idea that the government only sees foreigners as subjects of control. It is, therefore, unsettling. There is no notion of protection the basic human rights and privacy of foreigners. It fosters discrimination against foreigners. Crimes committed by foreigners are at most two percent of all criminal offense. Yet the crimes committed by foreigners are reported as the cause of risk to public safety. This idea of anti-terrorism has become an excuse for strengthening the control and regulation of foreigners. In other words, the government considers "foreigners" as "criminals" and/or "would-be-terrorists". This in itself is discrimination. At the same time, these policies are in danger of fostering discrimination amongst civilians. Biometrics data is the ultimate form of personal identification Biometrics data such as fingerprint and picture are ultimate form of personal identification. People are asked to bare their privacy on behalf of "safety and security" of society. Also, by processing the information by IC, such personal information lasts forever. Although the present law protects (personal information), there is no guarantee that it remains without any change. No one can foresee how one's biometrics data would be used in the future. Furthermore, we cannot deny the dangerous possibility in using these data instead of PIN number. Since biometrics data is irreplaceable, which is different from PIN, it is almost impossible to intervene any wrongdoing once the data is stolen. The information technology has high risk. There is a widely reported issue on missing personal information. There is a looming possibility that data may be instantly lost given that personal information are processed by computers However, despite this threat, no measure is taken to investigate negative factors and to protect ones' privacy Arresting on another charge and arresting the wrong person are on the rise in the name of "war on terror". In the name of "war on terror", what is happening now are gathering information on those named "terrorists" and terrorism and wrong arrests. To begin with, there is no internationally recognized definition for "terrorism", "terrorist", and "terrorist group" and, therefore, these terms remain vague. As a result, there is a danger that these terms could be arbitrarily applied so as to exclude particular person or group. For example, a foreigner could easily be restrained or a proper procedure could be suspended under the policy of "war on terror". Would you like to live in such a world? What is being done in the name of "war on terror" is increasing the power of the central government by controlling and regulating people, and the first target are foreigners. The information on the place of his/her accommodation, attended school, workplace-all the information after his/her arrival-will be collected as a record. And, if "something" (reads "a crime") occurs, the agency would start searching from the data and the foreigners would become the first persons asked for investigation. We cannot deny the possibility that a foreigner could be taken as a suspect just because the data matched by mistake. Also, such activity as random questioning by the police on the street will influence those who look "foreign" even though he/she is actually a Japanese national. Furthermore, such a control system is extending amongst people on the whole. The experiment of profile collection at the subway entrance is about to start. As you can see, "war on terror" is not only an issue of foreigners but of the Japanese society as a whole. The terminal of "war on terror" is the birth of distrustful society where people see one another with suspicion. It also means stronger control of society. The society without trust, compelling everyone to live with suspicion that one could be a "criminal" or a "suspect", is certainly not a pleasant world to live in. Needless to say, it is far from a "secure society". The genuine "security" derives from the idea that both the majority and the minority, Japanese and foreigners, live in a common society. Does it not? What you can do in order to prevent it from becoming trustless society? *Distribute this brochure to your friends and acquaintances. *Hold a study group in your community. *Send comments to related newspaper articles, etc… Our goal is establishing multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society where people of different culture live harmoniously side by side. Speak up against the judicial and institutional revision, which lead to controlled society in the name of "war on terror". Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan 2-203 TCC, 2-17-41, Koishikawa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan 112-0002 fmwj@jca.apc.org http://www.jca.apc.org/migrant-net/

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	Solidarity network with Migrants Japan