A beefed-up customs office opened Thursday at Haneda airport in Tokyo as the revamped facility prepares for the transition to international service at the end of this month.
Starting Sunday, Haneda will go international for the first time in 32 years, flying to 17 cities in 11 countries or regions this winter. Destinations include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, British Columbia, Beijing, Seoul, Bangkok and Paris.
To deal with the jump in traffic, the airport has added more customs officers and sniffer dogs.
"We will do our utmost to regulate the flow of people and commodities at the waterfront, as well as fight terrorism" Tokyo Customs chief Mamoru Umemoto said at a ceremony to inaugurate the strengthened Haneda customs branch.
Haneda mainly handles domestic flights and some short-haul charter flights to and from four overseas destinations — Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
