NJ Fingerprinting Update: US Soldiers also exempt under SOFA

mytest

HI BLOG. FEEDBACK FROM CYBERSPACE. US SOLDIERS STATIONED IN JAPAN HAVE ALSO BEEN EXEMPT FROM BEING FINGERPRINTED. I GUESS THE GOJ IS COUNTING THEM AS DIPLOMATS. SWEETHEART DEAL. ARUDOU DEBITO

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The US Embassy just sent out this information:

============================================
UPDATE: Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) personnel are exempt under
SOFA Article 9 (2) from the new biometrics entry requirements.

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I think this means that if a person with three decades of permanent
Japan residence under his/her belt flies into the airport with 18 year
old Seaman Doe, whatever his/her nationality or background, Doe goes
through the line without photo and fingerprint check.

That does not make any sense at all.

SOURCE:
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From: American Embassy Tokyo
Date: Wed Oct 31, 2007 19:57:07 Asia/Tokyo
Subject: Welcome to the November newsletter! (EXCERPT)
http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-newsletter20071101.html#bio

Here are the topics for this month:

Upcoming Holidays and ACS Office Closures

Security Situation
Information for Americans employed by NOVA
Reminder – New Biometrics Requirements for Foreigners Entering Japan
Thanksgiving is here…
Primary Elections, General Elections – Both Are Important!
Are you ready to vote?
Some Missouri Voted Ballots can be Faxed or Emailed
Ohio Special Congressional Primary Election
Employment Resources
Ask the Consul: Warden Messages
Consequences of Mailing Illegal Drugs to Japan
Embassy Tokyo & ConGen Naha Offering New Foreign Service Officer Test
“Green Card Lottery”
Early Warning System
Handy Calendar Converter
Services Leaving Japan? Unsubscribing Contact Us

(SNIP)

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Reminder: New Biometrics Requirements for Foreigners Entering Japan
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The Government of Japan recently informed us that as of November 20,
2007, Immigration officials at the port of entry will digitally scan
the fingerprints of and photograph all foreign nationals entering
Japan, with the exemption of certain categories listed below. This
requirement does not replace any existing visa or passport
requirements. Foreign nationals that are exempt from this new
requirement include special permanent residents (Tokubetsu Eijuusha),
persons under 16 years of age, holders of diplomatic or official
visas, and persons invited by the head of a national administrative
organization. Please note that permanent residents will also be
expected to submit to this new requirement.

The Immigration Bureau of the Ministry of Justice posted an
explanatory video on the new procedures on June 14, 1007. The short
video entitled “Landing Examination Procedures for Japan are
Changing!” can be viewed here.

UPDATE: Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) personnel are exempt under
SOFA Article 9 (2) from the new biometrics entry requirements.

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ENDS

3 comments on “NJ Fingerprinting Update: US Soldiers also exempt under SOFA

  • FEEDBACK FROM CYBERSPACE:

    UPDATE: Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) personnel are exempt
    under
    SOFA Article 9 (2) from the new biometrics entry requirements.

    Sorry for so many postings. I followed up on this a little. The
    SOFA policy is not just for soldiers. Here is the original (1960)
    article 9, item 2 from above:

    “2. Members of the United States armed forces shall be exempt from
    Japanese passport and visa laws and regulations. Members of the
    United States armed forces, the civilian component, and their
    dependents shall be exempt from Japanese laws and regulations on the
    regis-tration and control of aliens, but shall not be considered as
    acquiring any right to permanent residence or domicile in the
    territories of Japan.”
    http://www.niraikanai.wwma.net/pages/archive/sofa.html

    So, Private First Class Doe, his wife and kids, and any civilian
    hired (presumably as a contractor or McDonalds clerk on base?) are
    exempt?

    The following snippet from a Yokota Air Base web page lends support
    to who is actually covered under SOFA:
    “Military/SOFA travelers
    While active-duty U.S. military personnel may enter Japan under the
    Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with proper Department of Defense
    (DoD) identification and travel orders, all SOFA family members,
    civilian employees and contractors must have a valid passport and, in
    some cases, a SOFA visa to enter Japan. Active-duty military
    personnel should obtain a tourist passport prior to leaving the
    United States to accommodate off-duty travel elsewhere in Asia as
    obtaining one while in Japan can take several weeks. Personnel whose
    duties will include official travel should also obtain an Official
    Passport before coming to Japan to avoid delays of up to two months,
    as from overseas these applications must be referred to a special
    office in Washington, adding to processing times. ”
    http://www.yokota.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=7067

    Oh, joy. McDonalds trumps McEnglish.

    Reply
  • Debito, McDonald’s employees on the bases here in Japan are not SOFA-sponsored; in fact, it’s my understanding that they are hired out in town and given special passes to come on base during working hours. Any McDonald’s employees that happen to hold SOFA ID cards are undoubtedly dependent children or spouses, but the majority of them are the same everyday Japanese citizens that you’d see out in town. In fact, I have seen several of the on-base McDonald’s employees working at the off-base McDonald’s down the street from the gate.

    Second, I may be splitting hairs here, not ALL civilians hired are SOFA-sponsored either. There are many organizations on-base that employ low-paid, unskilled workers (i.e. passing out towels at the gym) on a relatively long-term basis without sponsoring them. Again, these jobs are generally filled by dependents. Typically, the civilians that you’re referring to are 1) US Civil Service, 2) Professional teachers for the DoD school system, 3) Skilled laborers / technicians on a short-term contract (i.e. Dell sending techs out to work on a server) or 4) Skilled laborers / technicians on a larger, long-term contract (i.e. running the computer networks) like myself.

    If you have any questions about life as a SOFA employee, feel free to contact me using the e-mail address I provided when I posted this message. I’m not exactly an expert, but after five years here I may be able to shed some light on a few things as above.

    Reply
  • Right–in fact, according to the law we don’t even live here; our legal addresses are back home, wherever that may be. I was disappointed to find that out because I’ve thought about applying for permanent residency myself but apparently none of the time I’ve spent here counts toward the 10-year soft requirement. I also can’t even apply for a gaijin card, which makes it a real pain to deal with all sorts of businesses. See my post on the Softbank / Shinsei bank thread for more about that.

    Reply

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