Japanese travelers using facial recognition device in departure lobby at Narita Airport. (The Asahi Shimbun/Kazuhisa Kurokawa)

Japan Introduces Facial Recognition Technology for Departing Foreign Travelers

Kinanty Nadia Putri
Social & Life
Travel
Jul 03, 2019
2442
The growing influx of foreign travelers into Japan has prompted the authorities to start implementing facial recognition technology at numbers of the airport in the country. The airport authorities said on Tuesday (7/2) that they will use the technology at automatic gates for short-term visitors departing from Japan.

The initiative is introduced due to the immigration procedures at Japan’s airports that often keep the travelers waiting in long queues as well as a part of the efforts to accommodate the expected huge numbers of incoming visitors for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With this automatization of embarkation system, Japanese immigration authorities hope the technology will help to ease and shorten the procedure time spent in customs for international travelers leaving the country. In addition, it will also allow more immigration staff to be tasked with other duties.

The system will scan and then compare the identification photo stored in travelers’ passport chip with the photograph taken at the gate. When the two photographs matched, the gate will open. The whole process will only take 15 seconds, authorities claimed.
The introduction of the facial recognition technology will be first deployed at Tokyo Haneda Airport on July 24 followed by Narita on August 27, Kansai on September 25, Fukuoka on October 8, and later at Chubu and New Chitose airports in November.

At present, the system is only available for short-term foreign travelers departing Japan and Japanese nationals entering and leaving the country—they’ve been able to use the system since last year. While non-Japanese residents still get fingerprinted and photographed at the gate as the procedures required the verification of their residence status.

Source: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/02/national/japan-begin-screening-departing-foreign-travelers-facial-recognition-technology/#.XRxUmOszaYk

Japan , Travel , Tourist , Airport , Technology , International