Japan’s Airports to Use Facial Recognition for Foreign Visitors

image credit: Japan Times

If you are visiting Japan this year and want to leave the airport, you may have to go through facial recognition at the gate. Foreign travelers will have to register a photo when they initially check-in. This image will be stored on the IC chip of their passport.

Once they get to the gate, another photo will be taken. It will be compared to the one digitally stored on the passport. If the two match, the visitor will be allowed to leave the airport and enter the country. If not they will get a visit from security.

Facial Recognition Gates to Help Process Visitors for Tokyo 2020 Games

The facial recognition system will begin on July 24 at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. Later this year, Narita, Kansaim, Chubu, Chitose and Fukuoka airports will also incorporate the new security feature.

This is in preparation for the huge influx of visitors expected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. According to Kyodo News, the Immigration Services Agency said the facial recognition technology will be provided by IT service company NEC Corp.

Facial recognition and AI is nothing new to Japanese airports. The security system was introduced back in 2017 for returning Japanese nationals. The technology is currently in use at the gates of Haneda, Narita, Chubu, Kansai, and Fukuoka airports. Government officials eventually plan to expand the hi-tech gates to more airports throughout the country.

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