A panel of experts has recommended that the Justice Ministry test facial, iris and hand vein identification systems to help simplify airport immigration procedures.
Immigration officers now identify most travelers by comparing their faces with facial photos on their passports. While automatic fingerprint recognition gates have been set up at four airports for Japanese travelers, their use is limited as they require fingerprint preregistration. Because many people resist fingerprint registration, the panel urged the ministry to develop and test the alternative identification systems.