The Japan transport ministry plans to install more surveillance cameras at airports to increase public safety ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, officials have said. The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry plans to deploy cameras at 15 state-managed airports, including Fukuoka Airport, Naha Airport in Okinawa and New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, the officials said. Surveillance cameras are already in place at other state-managed airports such as Tokyo’s Haneda airport, as well as at privately managed facilities like Narita airport in Chiba and Chubu Centrair International Airport in Nagoya.
But for many state-managed airports devoid of surveillance cameras, security is provided by sensors along their perimeter fences. With sensors, however, tracking down intruders takes longer because it takes time for security guards to get to the scene after being alerted, the officials said. Airport officials have thus been trying to get cameras installed to better detect intruders on the premises. Airport security has strengthened in recent years in light of terrorist attacks on airports in places like Belgium and Turkey, prompting major airports around the world to push for the controversial use of full body scanners.
