Japan Seeks Facial Recognition for Border Security

Japan’s government is pursuing facial biometric technology for its border security. In its latest budget, the country’s Justice Ministry is looking to get about $2.69 million in funding for such a system to be implemented at its national airports.

While the country’s security forces are already starting to use extensive biographic profiling of visitors as well as fingerprint scanning, the system now being pursued would scan the faces of all visitors at airports and match them against terrorist databases. In this way it’s similar to other systems being trialed by security agencies such as the US’s Customs and Border Protection; and in addition to working with domestic security forces including the National Police Agency, Japan’s Justice Ministry is reportedly seeking to share such information with other governments around the world.

The efforts are thought to be motivated in large part by security concerns related to the 2020 Summer Olympics, which will take place in Tokyo. But they may also stem from last autumn’s Paris terror attacks, which prompted a heightened concern over border security issues around the world.

Source: Nikkei Asian Review

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March 21, 2016 – by Alex Perala