The transport ministry is considering introducing security checks for domestic flights on par with those done for international flights during the May 26-27 Group of Seven summit in Mie Prefecture, airport sources said Sunday.
The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry's proposals include conducting body searches for four days from May 25 on about 10 percent of passengers on domestic flights randomly selected, the sources said.
Some randomly selected hand-carried baggage may also be opened and checked after undergoing X-ray inspection.
Most major airports, including Haneda in Tokyo and nearby Narita, Chubu near Nagoya and Kansai in Osaka will be affected, according to the sources.
With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in mind, the ministry will consider making such security checks permanent, but airline officials are concerned that measures like random pat-downs could delay flights, according to the sources.
Ministry data show there were 95.87 million passengers on domestic flights in 2015, more than five times the number on international flights.