Japan providing $4.5m grant to strengthen Jordan’s biometric border control

The governments of Jordan and Japan have signed a 500 million yen (approximately US$4.5 million) grant agreement aimed at securing advanced devices and security solutions in five border posts to increase defense measures in the Kingdom, according to a report by The Jordan Times.

The grant will supplement the previous 1 billion yen (approximately US$8.8 million) grant signed at the end of October for the Installation of IP Based Facial Recognition CCTV Systems at the border crossing points under the Japanese Program Grant Aid for Cooperation on Counter-Terrorism and Security Enhancement.

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Imad Fakhoury signed the grant agreement Wednesday with Japanese Ambassador to Jordan Shuichi Sakurai.

Fakhoury expressed his appreciation to the Japanese government for approving the additional support within a “short period of time”, which he said will help in improving border security, “particularly during these boiling times of regional turbulences and our fight against terrorism and extremism”.

“We highly value the strategic partnership we enjoy,” Fakhoury said. “Japan and Jordan continue to see eye-to-eye on key regional and global issues. The… role that Japan is playing within the international community in support of Jordan is also highly appreciated”.

Since 2009, the Japanese government has provided the Kingdom with US$1.285 billion in the form of grants and soft loans, in addition to technical assistance through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the ministry said.

“Surrounded by countries which are plagued with unstable security, Jordan has acknowledged that airports and border checkpoints are important facilities to be secured with enhancing inspection and surveillance,” Sakurai said.

He said that “based on this decision”, the Japanese government decided to extend the new grant, and will exert its “best efforts to further strengthen the excellent bilateral relations with [Japan’s] best friend Jordan”.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  border security  |  facial recognition  |  Japan  |  Jordan  |  Middle East