Japan's NEC To Create Biometric Face Recognition-Based Vaccination Verification - Reports

Japan's Nippon Electric Company (NEC) will begin development of biometric facial recognition technology for COVID-19 vaccination, the media reported on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2021) Japan's Nippon Electric Company (NEC) will begin development of biometric facial recognition technology for COVID-19 vaccination, the media reported on Friday.

A facial recognition vaccination verification system for COVID-19 would make smartphone apps or paper documents as proof of vaccination unnecessary, the Japanese Kyodo news agency cited NEC officials as saying.

The company expects the system to be used at tourist sites and event venues, to help alleviate congestion and reduce labor costs, the agency reported.

Consenting users would need to register their vaccination history and submit a photo of their face to use the system, which would scan them with a camera at venue entrances and confirm their vaccination status within a few seconds, according to the agency.

The technology is 99.9% accurate even when the user is wearing a mask.

Japan confirmed its first new COVID-19 Omicron variant case on Tuesday, and has already barred foreign arrivals for all shorter-term visa holders. Japanese citizens and residents returning from abroad must spend up to 10 days of their two-week quarantine period in a government-established facility.