The Japanese government approved on Tuesday a bill about revising the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law to fingerprint and photograph all foreign visitors as part of its campaign to fight terrorism, Kyodo News reported.

The bill stipulates that foreigners entering Japan must provide personal identification data in electromagnetic format, such as fingerprints, photographs and other items as defined by ordinances issued by the Justice Ministry.

The government planned to submit the bill to the current Diet session as part of its efforts to block terrorists from entering the country under false identities.

The bill also includes a provision enabling the government to deport those judged by the justice minister to be terrorists and another provision requires planes and ships arriving in Japan to submit passenger lists before arrival, Kyodo said.

However, some people from Japan's legal field oppose the bill, saying measures such as fingerprinting infringe on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2006)