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Monday, 7th September 2015
In Japan Travel News,
Japanese airports to introduce mobile fingerprinting terminals
Authorities in Japan are to start using mobile fingerprinting and photo terminals at airports to cut down waiting times for those visiting the country.
Japan has recently encountered an upsurge in foreign holidaymakers, which has led to long queues at immigration on some occasions.
Now, officials intend to screen some visitors in the queue, so they are ready to go through without having to be processed at the desk.
The new terminal is called a biocart and will be the latest tool in the Japanese bid for efficiency, collecting and storing information such as fingerprints, photos and passport numbers.
All Japanese airports dealing with international flights are expected to be fitted with the terminals from April 2016.
Data on waiting times at immigration was collected over the course of six months from January this year.
It found that visitors lined up for 36 minutes at Osaka's Kansai Airport; 24 minutes at Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Chubu Airport in Aichi Prefecture; and Narita International Airport near Tokyo saw waits of 20 minutes.
Arriving in Japan, visitors are keen to reclaim their luggage and get through immigration as quickly as possible so they can enjoy the country.
A senior official from the Justice Ministry told Japan Today: "Depending on the person, it may only take half the time it has taken now to get through immigration."
British passport holders can travel to Japan without a visa for up to 90 days, as long as they have an onward ticket.
What awaits them is 6,852 islands, complete with modern cities, imperial palaces, numerous temples and shrines, stunning national parks and world-class cuisine, making a trip to this part of the world varied and exciting.
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