FB pixel

Japan adds facial recognition to passport control system

 

In an effort to tighten immigration control and security in advance of the Toyko 2020 Summer Olympics, the Japanese government will start using a facial recognition system at airports to strengthen its ability to catch terrorists and identify criminals or undesirables trying to sneak into the country.

Last September, Japan’s Justice Ministry announced plans to install terminals at various airports to capture photos and fingerprints of foreign visitors.

The new facial recognition system will allow those photos to be compared instantly against law enforcement records.

According to a report in the Nikkei Asian Review, the Justice Ministry asked for 300 million yen ($2.7M USD) in its fiscal 2016 budget to install the system at all immigration sections at airports nationwide.

The ministry created a center for handling intelligence related to foreign visitors last autumn. Using intelligence specialists, this center has begun to obtain biographic data from airlines including the names, ages and nationalities of incoming passengers as well as places they had visited prior to boarding the aircraft.

Almost 20 million foreign visitors travelled to Japan in 2015, an increase of 39% from the previous year.

Article Topics

 |   |   |   |   |   |   | 

Latest Biometrics News

 

Metalenz debuts under-display camera for payment-grade face authentication

Unlocking a smartphone with your face used to require a camera placed in a notch or a punch hole in…

 

UK regulators pan patchwork policy for law enforcement facial recognition

The UK’s two Biometrics Commissioners shared cautionary observations about the use of facial recognition in law enforcement over the weekend…

 

UK gov’t seeks covert surveillance tech in benefit fraud crackdown

The UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published a £2 million (US$2.7 million) tender seeking software and hardware…

 

Biometrics in warfare, surveillance raise new oversight challenges

A new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report warns that biometric technologies are moving from routine identity verification into more consequential…

 

Harvard, Linux Foundation launch open-source wallet for selective data sharing

The internet is seeing a wide-scale push towards identity verification and age assurance, but the question remains: how can users…

 

Facephi graduates from startup phase with positive 2025 net, EBITDA surge

Revenue from Facephi’s core biometrics and its newer digital identity and fraud prevention portfolio grew by 24.6 percent in 2025,…

Comments

13 Replies to “Japan adds facial recognition to passport control system”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Biometric Market Analysis and Buyer's Guides

Most Viewed This Week

Featured Company

Biometrics Insight, Opinion

Digital ID In-Depth

Biometrics White Papers

Biometrics Events