Japan will start X-raying travelers' shoes at airports before the Golden Week holidays begin in late April as part of an antiterror drive, Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Nobuteru Ishihara said Tuesday.
"We want to bolster antiterrorism measures, given that incidents such as the train bombings in Madrid and the hostage crisis involving Japanese in Iraq have taken place," Ishihara said at a news conference.
He said Japan will continue to implement beefed-up antiterrorism measures until the country ends the deployment of its Self-Defense Forces troops to Iraq.
Transport ministry officials said they want travelers in Japan to arrive at airports 30 to 60 minutes earlier than usual, because those going through security checks at both international and domestic airports may be asked to take off their shoes for X-ray inspection.
As the number of travelers will increase during the holiday period, which lasts for about a week beginning Thursday, Japan will also bolster other antiterrorism measures at transportation facilities, Ishihara said.
Conductors or security guards will check the ownership of hand luggage on bullet trains, and garbage cans at train stations, ports and expressway rest areas will be removed, the officials said.
Security guards will also be stationed on a continuous basis at bus terminals at major train stations, they said.