1st foreign resident to refuse fingerprinting dies at 79

Friday 25th July, 02:17 PM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Latest 15 of 24 Total Comments Show All

OhioDonna at 11:06 PM JST - 25th July

If I were living in Japan I would not object to fingerprinting but I would not be a threat to national security. I have always tried to follow all the laws set before me. It is better that way.
thepro at 11:13 PM JST - 25th July

Good for you
spudman at 11:39 PM JST - 25th July

so if the law required you to report on foreign born people 0hiodonna would follow that as well? Laws that are fundamentally flawed should be challenged. RIP Han Jong Sok you had more moral fiber than the rest of us.
usaexpat at 11:50 PM JST - 25th July

Han Jong Sok RIP you were brave for refusing to be fingerprinted. As for the current sysytem well, like it or leave I guess but it has damaged my view of living here and my view of my place in this country. As others have said human rights apply first to Japanese and then to Gaijins with connections (luckily I'm in the latter) and if you are the poor, weak, or young English teaching gaijins then you have no rights here, sad but true.
Crucades at 11:54 PM JST - 25th July

RIP lawl.... wonder if st peter can find his records? :D
jammer at 01:11 AM JST - 26th July

Respect
ca1ic0cat at 02:25 AM JST - 26th July

I guess they can get his fingerprints now if they want to.

Of course I never arrive in Japan w/o my Ebina hospital card. Saves a lot of time if there is an emergency. I have to wonder if not having fingerprints on file will (eventaully) slow treatment?
gokai_wo_maneku at 07:02 AM JST - 26th July

With all due respect to Mr. Sok, if fingerprints are your biggest life problem, count yourself really blessed. I don't give a twit about it.
gokai_wo_maneku at 08:42 AM JST - 26th July

Let me revise what I said above. "I don't give a twit" is not very circumspect language. What I meant to say is that there is a diversity of opinion among foreigners (at least the ones I know) about fingerprinting. Most I know don't care about it.
LIBERTAS at 09:43 AM JST - 26th July

There is such a thing as a bad law. Especially when drawn up by unelected public servants and then mindlessly rubber-stamped by those who are elected, and expected to put some thought into what they do. This fingerprinting law is a perfect example of a bad law. Most laws in Japan happen that way. That's not governance, it's an out of control bureaucracy "I have always tried to follow all the laws set before me. It is better that way." Really? As a citizen you're supposed to T h i n k for yourself! Being a sheeple is what has Japan concreted from head to toe, with wrapped electric poles and asbestos filled buildings, with schools which teach nothing, hospitals that refuse patients in need and allows the politicians to travel at taxpayers expense for no reason except vacations. When they come for you...who ya gonna call? Have some self respect.
rjd_jr at 09:58 AM JST - 26th July

I salute you Mr. Sok, rest in peace.
sallysky at 11:41 AM JST - 26th July

One of frinds said to me that he didn't want to fingerprint because Jpanese goverment didn't consider him a human. At that time, I realized his feeling and he was infringed by Japanese ways of thinking .....I try to know the feeling of people at first...anyway
Zen_Builder at 11:47 AM JST - 26th July

Sallysky.

How do you feel about the USA fingerprinting/photographing people? And it will soon happen in europe, etc too.

If I look at the history the USA was the first to demand compulsory fingerprinting, Japan and the EU simply following suit.
gokai_wo_maneku at 02:18 PM JST - 26th July

Does anyone know his reason for refusing fingerprinting? Was he a zainichi-kankokujin? (I forgot what that is in English).
OhioDonna at 02:28 AM JST - 7th August

Spudman: Good grief! My statement was that I have always "tried" to follow the laws. I would not report a foreign born person just because they are foreign born. The fingerprinting law is as much for my protection as well as the citizens. Fingerprinting is not a bad law. Reporting foreign born would be a bad one and if that were in place I would do my best to have it taken off the books.