Starting this week, three major Japanese airports will introduce new electronic kiosks to streamline immigration and customs checks. This will simplify the current process, which requires passports to be shown multiple times.
Japanese travelers returning to the country, as well as foreign visitors, will be eligible to use the new technology, according to Japan Customs and the Immigration Services Agency. The gates are designed to enhance convenience and reduce processing times.
Users of the one-stop gates, known as joint kiosks, will need to present a passport and a QR code with immigration and customs declaration details registered in advance through the government’s Visit Japan Web platform.
Foreign passport holders visiting Japan will have their faces photographed, fingerprints taken, and documents inspected by immigration officials. Japanese citizens will only need to have their photo taken before proceeding.
Currently, Japanese citizens and foreign visitors must provide information separately to both immigration and customs.
However, an immigration agency official stated that foreign nationals with medium- to long-term residency in Japan will not be eligible to use the kiosks. The units are unable to check data related to the embarkation and disembarkation cards that foreign residents complete when traveling to and from Japan, the official explained.
The gates are being rolled out at Haneda Airport, with plans to expand their use to all Japanese airports with international flights.
The new technology will be introduced at both terminals at Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture next Tuesday.
Terminals 2 and 3 at Tokyo's Haneda Airport as well as Terminal 3 at Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture, near the capital will begin using the gates next week.
Read next
16:45
China
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has urged Japan to join forces with Beijing in countering U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff measures, highlighting growing concern over Washington's protectionist policies.
12:45
Japan
Japan is contemplating offering concessions in the form of increased soybean and rice imports as part of ongoing trade negotiations with the United States, according to a report by the Yomiuri daily on Saturday.
20:30
Japan
Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato strongly denied accusations that Japan manipulates its currency to weaken the yen, ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent next week. Kato addressed the issue in the Japanese parliament on Friday, reaffirming that Jap
21:30
US-Japan trade dispute
U.S. President Donald Trump's desire to influence the yen's exchange rate in the ongoing trade negotiations with Japan is likely to create challenges for both nations, analysts warned.
16:30
Japan
Japan is set to engage in crucial tariff negotiations with the United States on Wednesday, marking one of the first tests of President Donald Trump’s willingness to adjust the sweeping import duties that have sent shockwaves through global markets and stoked fears of an impending recession.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment