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Narita to become first airport in Japan to use facial recognition for boarding instead of document c

Mar 02, 2019 (Japan Times) - The operator of Narita International Airport near Tokyo said Thursday it will introduce in spring 2020 a facial recognition technology-based system that enables passengers to board planes, after check-in, without showing their passports or boarding passes.

Narita will be the first airport in the nation to adopt a system that does not require passengers to pause for identification when boarding, according to Narita International Airport Corp.

The operator hopes that the system will improve convenience for passengers ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics.

Passengers will first have photos taken of their faces at self check-in kiosks where they enter passport and boarding pass information.

High-performance cameras set up at the baggage drop-off counters, safety inspection areas and boarding gates will track the passengers and check their identity against the registered photos as they make their way through the boarding process.

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The death toll from the Kumamoto earthquake rose to 36 on the fourth day of the disaster as search operations continued and survivors faced prolonged displacement, extreme heat and widespread water outages.

Typhoon No. 13 (Dolphin) was moving west-northwest at violent strength as of 9 p.m. on July 31 and is expected to approach and pass near the Ogasawara Islands from August 3 through August 4 while remaining a very strong or strong typhoon.

Kyushu Shinkansen services between Hakata and Kumamoto resumed on a reduced schedule on July 31 after a three-day suspension caused by the earthquake, while extensive rail damage has left no timetable for reopening the section south to Kagoshima-Chuo.

Rescue operations continued across Kumamoto Prefecture as the critical 72-hour period approached following the July 28 earthquake that registered the maximum seismic intensity of 7, with authorities confirming 34 deaths by July 30.

The Kego Fault Zone running through central Fukuoka could produce an earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of 7, leaving 1,800 people dead, 800 disaster-related deaths and 319,000 evacuees, according to prefectural damage estimates, as experts warn that an unruptured section may remain under stress.

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A former gang member believed to have held a senior position in Tokyo's illegal drug trade has been arrested on suspicion of selling about 10 grams of methamphetamine to a customer for 150,000 yen.

Police searched the Sapporo office of a Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated crime syndicate on July 31 after nine people, including gang members, were arrested on suspicion of illegally harvesting sea cucumbers off Wakkanai in northern Hokkaido.

A doctor who evaluated the man accused of leading a fatal group assault on a university student in Hokkaido testified that feelings of rejection had developed into a destructive cycle of anger and violence.

A fraud group accused of causing about 650 million yen in losses nationwide allegedly purchased popular social media accounts, impersonated their former influencer owners and used the trust built with followers to sell fraudulent side-job programs.

A metal screw about 1.5 centimeters long was found inside the mouth of a 4-year-old child having lunch at a kindergarten in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, city officials said.

An elderly woman was rescued from a collapsed home by five Vietnamese workers as the death toll from the 2026 Kumamoto Earthquake rose to 34 on July 30, while severe water shortages disrupted daily life and hampered firefighting across the disaster zone.

A 41-year-old doctor has been arrested on suspicion of stealing a high school girl's gym uniform from her bag on a train in Hyogo Prefecture, marking his third arrest over alleged offenses involving female students' clothing.

Japan's Japanese-national population fell below 120 million as the country recorded its largest annual decline since comparable data began, according to a survey released Wednesday.