THUMBS UP Fingerprinting tourists in Japan

Posted on 04/13/2016 | About Japan

Tourists to Japan can soon choose to be fingerprinted on arrival. The country will be launching a system where foreign visitors register credit card information and their fingerprints to purchase products and services on their vacation. The process will also be used in place of presenting passports when checking into designated hotels.

The pilot for the project will involve 300 souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels that serve tourists. Eventually the process is expected to benefit transactions at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Up to 40 million annual overseas visitors are expected by that time. 

The system will also identify the economics of the foreign traveller, analyzing spending habits to help the government produce appropriate tourism policies. 

However, the fingerprinting system can only be as effective as the percentage of visitors who are willing to participate and it remains to be seen how many visitors will voluntarily offer their fingerprints and credit card information.