Japan

Japan: Plan to Fingerprint, Photograph Arriving Foreigners to Begin Nov. 20

Date: October 31st, 2007 |

Japan’s plan to photograph and take digital fingerprints of all arriving foreigners will begin Nov. 20. Foreigners residing in Japan will have to go through the process every time they reenter the country. The collected data will be checked against a database of domestic and international terror and crime suspects and anyone matching the information [read more]

Pacific Rim: Taiwan Earthquake Damages Undersea Cables

Date: January 3rd, 2007 |

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A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Taiwan Dec. 26 and damaged undersea telecommunications cables, affecting internet, banking and telephone services around the Pacific Rim. Much of the service has been restored but repairs to the cables are expected to take as long as a month. Internet access may be slow or unavailable in so [read more]

Japan

Date: May 10th, 2005 |

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The world�s largest fish market in the middle of Tokyo has seen too many meddling tourists and officials finally banned them from the daily tuna auction because they were disrupting the operation. Their frequent camera flashes were making it hard to see the numbers displayed and some tourists got so close to the action that [read more]

Japan

Date: October 26th, 2004 |

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This year Japan has been hit by a record 10 typhoons and now the strongest earthquake in a decade. Some 100,000 people were forced out of damaged or destroyed homes in Niigata prefecture, 150 miles north of Tokyo Oct. 23, by the 6.8 magnitude temblor. Some remote towns were cut off by landslides, and rain [read more]

Japan

Date: September 7th, 2004 |

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The seven typhoons to hit Japan this year represent a record number and twice the annual average. Three have come since August. The most recent, Songda, which hit Kyushu Sept. 7, shut down all railway service on the island and caused the cancellation of more than 400 domestic flights to southern Japan. Services should return [read more]

Japan: Travelers To Be Fingerprinted, Photographed on Arrival

Date: September 19th, 2007 |

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Beginning in November, new immigration regulations will require all foreign visitors above the age of 16 except diplomats to be digitally fingerprinted and photographed upon arrival. The procedure should be quick and easy but it could cause delays in the initial days or weeks as officials and arriving passengers grow accustomed to the process. Authorities [read more]

Japan: Possible Threat to U.S. Facilities

Date: May 30th, 2006 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo reported it had received information of a possible threat to U.S. facilities in Japan, and urged Americans to remain alert for and report suspicious activity. Officials had not determined the credibility of the threat when they made the announcement May 24, nor would they say what precautions had b [read more]

Japan

Date: February 8th, 2005 |

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Groping on Japanese subways and commuter trains has been a problem for years, and a record number of incidents was reported in Tokyo in 2004. Police started tracking the problem four decades ago, and while cases are believed to be substantially underreported, some 2,200 were revealed last year resulting in almost 1900 arrests. More than [read more]

Japan

Date: September 14th, 2004 |

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Authorities are considering implementing a new anti-terrorism policy that would require hotels or other facilities that offer accommodations to foreigners to make photocopies of their passports to keep on file. The move came in reaction to the news that a French national who was a suspected al-Qaeda member had entered the country on false [read more]

Japan

Date: May 11th, 2004 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo received information via the internet that the Embassy would be the target of an attack the week of May 10. Officials were unable to determine the credibility of the threat, but felt it was serious enough to inform the American community in Japan. Such threats against Americans in Japan are [read more]