Airlines expanded passport checks at boarding gates in Narita and other international airports Tuesday for all departures ahead of the Group of Eight summit in Hokkaido next week.
The action is intended to prevent terrorists or stowaways from using forged or other people's passports to board flights, airline officials said.
Airline agents spent about five seconds per traveler to cross-check identities using passports and air tickets, the officials said.
Earlier, passport checks at boarding gates had been conducted only on U.S.-bound flights operated by Japanese and foreign airlines and on all flights operated by American or U.S.-linked carriers, following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
Until Monday, most departing passengers could board flights without boarding gate checks if they completed check-in, security checks and other travel procedures.
At Kansai International Airport, a woman in her 60s on a trip to Seoul said she was aware of the tightened security and felt it might be helpful in maintaining public safety.
Police also tightened security in Sapporo, where leaders of the G8 and other countries are scheduled to stay overnight before and after the Toyako summit.
On Tuesday, police with dogs searched for suspicious objects around the summit venue, the Windsor Hotel Toya, in the town of Toyako. Police divers went into Lake Toya to check for suspicious objects.
More security cameras have been installed in Hokkaido, with the Sapporo Municipal Government increasing their number for the city's subway network and newly setting them up at water distribution facilities. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry installed more than 20 cameras along highways around Toyako.
Hokkaido Railway Co. said it will restrict the use of baggage lockers at stations.
