How Japan's Busiest Airport Is Tightening Its Border Control

With visitor numbers to Japan soaring to record levels, the Tokyo Regional Immigration Services Bureau is intensifying measures to prevent illegal entry and exit at Haneda Airport.

The Sankei Shimbun was granted inside access to observe the frontline work of immigration inspectors and security officers who are safeguarding public order.

Terminal 3, which handles international flights, is linked by a walkway to the so-called CIQ building. CIQ stands for Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine.

It houses the Customs Branch Office under the Ministry of Finance, the Haneda Airport Branch Office of the Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau, and the Quarantine Branch Office of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

For security and privacy reasons, recording, filming, and photography were prohibited during the media tour.

A Layered System Behind the Scenes

Our tour began at the airport's departure lobby. Fingerprint authentication gates were installed in 2010, followed by facial recognition gates in 2017. By harnessing new technologies, the screening process has been accelerated, allowing for smoother entry.

Beyond the stream of departing passengers, the security checkpoint comes into view. "This is where travelers first pass through, with the airline operating the area and a contracted security company handling inspections," we were told.

*JAL and ANA passenger planes are shown lined up at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.*

Surprisingly, unlike in the United States, where a government agency handles security screening at the departure, Japan relies on private companies.

Manned booths outside the gates act as the final checkpoint, ensuring that neither foreign visitors nor Japanese citizens leave the country undetected. "But the final check on departing passengers is done by human eyes," a staff member explained.

In May, officers apprehended a suspect wanted on fraud charges in the Kansai region who was attempting to leave the country despite an active arrest warrant.

Streamlined Entry, Diverging Procedures

We then headed to Haneda Airport's arrival area.

Riding the staff elevator to the arrival lobby, we encountered a row of terminals called shared kiosks. Introduced in 2025, these kiosks allow travelers to submit all required entry information at once, making border control more efficient and easing the process for passengers.

Foreigners and Japanese citizens were seen using the machines to scan their QR codes obtained on a dedicated website via their smartphones, along with their passports.

*Tokyo's Haneda Airport arrivals lobby is crowded with people from many regions arriving in Japan. (©Sankei by Hideyuki Matsui)*

Beyond that point, Japanese nationals can enter the country using facial recognition at walk-through gates. Foreign nationals, however, must register their fingerprints and have their photo taken before undergoing a final in-person inspection by an immigration officer.

Travelers who fail to meet entry requirements and are intercepted at the border are temporarily held in a designated area within the facility, known as the detention center. They are not referred to prosecutors but are subject to immediate deportation.

Inside Haneda's Detention Facility

According to immigration authorities, the number of reported violations of the Immigration Control Act (illegal entry or landing) nationwide ranged from 232 to 340 individuals between 2020 and 2023.

At Haneda Airport, the numbers fluctuated by year: 5 in 2020, 0 in 2021, 14 in 2022, 103 in 2023, and 98 in 2024.

Detained foreigners were taken to the entry/exit preparation room, where they were briefed on the nature of their violation and the facility's rules. Their height, weight, and blood pressure were measured in a private room before being assigned to one of six living quarters.

The rooms retained traditional tatami flooring, unfamiliar to most foreigners, so mattresses were provided for comfort. Instruction manuals explaining the use of the living quarters were available in 21 languages, including Japanese. Each private room was equipped with its own toilet and shower.

*Foreign nationals are undergoing immigration screening at the international terminal.*

An electric kettle sat on the table, and a terrestrial TV monitor was also provided. Accommodation is separated by gender, though the room layout is identical for all.

Foreigners are typically detained for an average of one to two days before boarding a deportation flight. The facility also has a laundry room, a storage room for voluntarily surrendered items, and a multipurpose room, where ping-pong paddles were available.

These rooms also house individuals transferred to Haneda Airport while awaiting deportation.

Screening Out High-Risk Entrants

Authorities here operate a separate investigative office that looks into whether any accomplices aided in forging passports or facilitating illegal entry.

At the airport, authorities apprehend or deny entry to those who violate the Immigration Control Act.

Individuals listed as terrorists and those seeking illegal employment, such as prostitution at unauthorized establishments, are denied entry. Former convicts involved in overseas drug offenses, including stimulants or marijuana, are also immediately deported.

The number of people denied entry at Haneda Airport rose sharply from 885 in 2023 to 1,385 in 2024. Immigration officials noted that this increase is likely linked to the steady rise in inbound travelers.

Author: The Sankei Shimbun

(Read this in Japanese)