In Time For 2020 Olympics Fingerprints Could Pay for Everything In Japan

TOKYO -- Japan has announced a plan that will allow visitors to the 2020 Olympic Games to conduct ATM, debit and credit card transactions by means of biometrics. The ambitious program would allow visitors to register their fingerprints and credit card information at Narita International Airport, and then simply use their fingers to pay for everything, from retail purchases to ATM and vending machine transactions.

According to local press reports, readers would be installed throughout the city by the time the Olympic torch arrives to officially signal the start of the games.

A trial run at the Huis Ten Bosch theme park in Sasebo in the Nagasaki Prefecture has already proven successful. Another test involving some 300 souvenir shops, restaurants and other retail establishments is in the works.

The voluntary program, officials explained, will not only cut down on the potential for fraud with visitors flocking to Japan for the Summer Olympics, it will also provide a wealth of information on the spending habits of foreign tourists. Eventually converted into anonymous "big data" for analysis, the program will be managed by both private and government entities.