The Japan Times67%
Japan to fully digitalize airport customs system by 2030 45%
By Yukana Inoue0%
6/22/2026, 6:33:00 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 17 faulty reasoning types, including Halo Effect, Availability Heuristic, and Confirmation Bias, with Optimism Bias as the most egregious example at 37.8% saturation with 168 hits. Analysis detected 949 faulty-reasoning hits from 445 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 47.4% and a BS Rank of 45% (12,214 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 55.80% of the article peer group.
Japan is looking to completely digitalize its airport customs system by 2030 to further optimize the process of entering the country as foreign tourist arrivals pick up year after year.
All individuals entering Japan, including Japanese nationals, are required to submit a customs declaration at the airport.
This was previously via a paper form distributed on the airplane for passengers to fill out and submit on arrival.
As part of the effort to make the process more efficient, an electronic version of the form was introduced in 2021 under a website currently known as Visit Japan Web.
Since then, the government has been pushing for a wider adoption of the digital declaration, and although the paper forms are still available in many cases, it is no longer standard practice to hand them out on all flights.
Under the new plan, the government is looking to get rid of the paper forms altogether and permit only digital declarations by 2030.
This is part of the Finance Ministry’s most recent effort to advance the efficiency and improve security of the nation’s customs operations.
The government has thus far been operating under the Smart Customs Initiative 2020, which was established six years ago for the same objectives.
However, given the significant change in the sector over the past few years, such as the sharp increase in tourists, the growth of e-commerce and a growing emphasis on economic security, the Finance Ministry is looking to implement a new medium- to long-term vision for the future of custom procedures.
The ministry is set to reveal its new plan sometime this month, which it aims to achieve by 2030.
Other elements that are expected to be included in the plan include the establishment of inspection centers at major airports amid increasing volumes of air cargo.
With the move, the ministry hopes to ensure both a thorough screening of delivered goods as well as a smooth logistical flow.
It also looks to utilize artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to strengthen cybersecurity at the nation’s front doors, as well as adopt an effective inspection system that can operate even under conditions of limited staffing.
“Through these initiatives and with the cooperation of private-sector operators, we aim to achieve even faster flows of goods and people that contribute to economic revitalization, while also strengthening border inspections to ensure a safe and secure society,” Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said at a committee meeting held last week.
The number of inbound tourists surpassed 40 million for the first time in history in 2025, and the government is aiming to raise that to 60 million by 2030.
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2speakers27%attributed speech323writer words
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100%flagged-word coverageSatsuki Katayama
50 attributed words41% of attributed speech89% writer coverage
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