The gates will use facial recognition technology to identify departing travelers. Faces will be compared to passport photos. The system was originally rolled out for Japanese travelers, but the Justice Ministry has decided to use it for foreigners as well.
As the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has swelled, immigration counters in departure lounges have been swamped, forcing already anxious travelers to wait in long lines.
Passport control is among several airport choke points. Travelers must also check in, drop off their luggage, go through a security screening, pass a customs inspection and have their passports checked one last time before boarding.
The new technology will free up immigration officers to work in crowded arrival halls.
Although it has been reserved for Japanese travelers only, the automated service has already cut the amount of time foreign tourists entering Japan have to wait. About 80% of the foreign visitors arriving at Narita International Airport, outside Tokyo, in January were able to pass through immigration within 20 minutes, a 4 percentage point improvement from a year earlier.
The ministry will prepare a revised ordinance so that automated gates will start operating for departing foreign travelers as early as next month at airports most ready to handle the system and by March for other gateways.
At least 15,058 people were on waiting lists for a hospital or a designated accommodations after testing positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this month in the 11 prefectures covered by a state of emergency, a Kyodo News survey found, as public health centers have been swamped with a surge in cases cases.
(Japan Times)
The snow this winter on Japan’s ski runs and the powder on the off-piste is probably the best it has been in a decade. (South China Morning Post)
If you plan to fly into Tokyo, Haneda Airport is where you want to land. Sure, rival Narita Airport sometime gets called “Tokyo International Airport,” but it’s actually all the way out in Chiba Prefecture, while Haneda is the one truly located within Tokyo. (Japan Today)
Weather officials are warning of more snow in the areas surrounding Tokyo, mainly in mountainous regions. But they say it is unlikely to accumulate in central Tokyo as the temperatures at high altitude did not dip as much as expected. (NHK)
Traveling the waterways of Tokyo, Japan. (CNN)
Kyushu is said to be the wellspring of Japanese civilization. Yet few tourists visit the southernmost of Japan's main islands. This documentary contrasts modern Japanese cities with traditional customs in the countryside. (DW Documentary)
The coronavirus is having a crushing effect on Japan's tourism industry. The number of foreign visitors in 2020 fell nearly 90 percent from the previous year.
(NHK)
Scoop up the rich tapestry of traditional culture and natural beauty of Ojiya, a small city in Niigata Prefecture's snowy mountains that's had to scale back as it steers through a global pandemic. (NHK)
Train services in greater Tokyo are scheduled to end earlier at night starting from Wednesday, due to a state of emergency declared in the region over the spread of the coronavirus.
(NHK)
Japan's health ministry plans to establish a system to effectively track foreign nationals who tested positive for coronavirus after entering the country.
(NHK)
To celebrate the new year, we're taking to the skies to check out Tokyo with an unobstructed view! (JapanPro)
The Tokyo Disney Resort is one of the best Disney Resorts in the entire world which is rather ironic as... it's not Disney. (ReviewTyme)
Shooting in Shinjuku/新宿, Shibuya/渋谷, Asakusa/浅草, Akihabara/秋葉原, showing how the town looks like on the first weekend. (Rion Ishida)
The Japanese government is stepping up coronavirus countermeasures for people entering the country.
(NHK)
The Japanese government plans to suspend the entry of all foreigners as the coronavirus continues to spread around the world.
(NHK)
Little change was seen in the flow of commuters at major train stations in Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures Friday morning as a fresh state of emergency came into effect in the metropolitan area to stop the spread of COVID-19.
(Japan Times)
Japan will further tighten its border controls from Saturday by requiring all people arriving to submit negative results from virus tests taken within 72 hours of their departure for Japan during the period of the latest state of emergency.
(Kyodo)
Airlines in Japan canceled 247 domestic flights on Friday due to heavy snow and strong winds in areas along the Sea of Japan and Hokkaido.
(NHK)
Japan's public transport providers are considering limiting operations to reduce mobility under the country's new coronavirus state of emergency, which is largely voluntary with no effective punishments for those who do not comply with curfews. (Nikkei)
This April and May, Malta will host the tenth anniversary edition of the InClassica International Music Festival, a three-week long celebration of classical music featuring world-renowned soloists, leading international orchestras and celebrated conductors. (newsonjapan.com)