Japan will test a system this summer at 300 souvenir shops ,restaurants, hotels and other businesses that will allow foreign tourists to verify their identities and buy things using only their fingerprints. Inbound tourists can register their fingerprints and other info like credit card information, at airports and elsewhere to take part.
Japan is hoping to have this system in place nationwide by the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Photo of Torri Gate, Mijajima, Japan by Kingtikitaki/TravelGumbo
Not only does it seem like big brother, I don’t see how this will make things more convenient or safer for the traveler. Maybe Japan wants it for marketing info since they will know what a traveler spends money on and what cities they visit.
I can see a new market for pruning shears. A few fingers will likely be lost every day!