As a long-term American resident, I thought I'd report on my experience with the new automated fingerprint recognition system at Narita airport for leaving and re-entering Japan.
I pre-registered my fingerprints at the Immigration Bureau on Nov. 20. This took about 1Łhours, as I had to wait my turn. Registration itself took about five minutes. I left Narita on Nov. 26 and was the only person using the automated system at the time, so there was no waiting in line. I was helped by a polite official, and it took only a minute or two to pass through.
Arriving back Dec. 6, the immigration lobby was filled with hundreds of people lined up waiting to get through immigration. Again, I found I was the only person at the time trying to use the new automated fingerprint system, and was again assisted by a helpful official. I got through in a couple of minutes. I like the new automated fingerprint system a lot. I think it's a real convenience for frequent travelers.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.