Forget About Privacy in Japan

The Japanese are primed to start fingerprinting and photographing all foreigners entering the country beginning in November 2007. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi says he is just modeling the new program after the United States in its war on terrorism. I think he's fibbing.

Meanwhile, check out this development from those rising sons of brassy arrogance.

Japan's public television arm has called on the United States to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The panel said the U.S. should "cease to detain any person at Guantanamo Bay and close this detention facility, permit access by the detainees to the judicial process or release them as soon as possible." This from a a country that still will not allow the Red Cross to inspect their inquisition-style prisons and is now consuming human liberties faster than salmon at an all-you-can eat sushi bar.

My foreign language consultant tells me that the appropriate Japanese response to the panel's recommendation is "kuso wo tabete." It means something like "We'll take it under advisement."

Of course, my language consultant is a student so the translation might not be exact.