Kansai International Airport introduced microwave devices Monday to conduct security checks on plastic bottles that people carry aboard airplanes.
The small device emits microwaves into a bottle placed on it and analyzes the reflected waves. A red light and alarm go off if flammable substances are inside, while a green light indicates there is no problem. The procedure only takes about a second and requires the container to be only about 20 percent full.
The airport operator said it expects the new method to help reduce departure-area congestion as well as address sanitary concerns about the current method, introduced in March last year, in which officers open and sniff the plastic bottles.
The airport plans to use the devices on a trial basis until October at both international and domestic terminals.
Narita International Airport, Tokyo's Haneda airport and Nagoya airport have all introduced devices that use a different method to check the contents of plastic bottles.
