Japan will let tourists pay for goods and services using fingerprints

Worried about cash and credit cards when you’re traveling? Japan wants to ease your fears by letting you pay for things using only your fingerprints. The Japanese government hopes this new voluntary system will alleviate fears of the tourists and also help decrease crime. When you arrive in the country as a tourist, you’ll be able to register your fingerprints, personal data, and credit card information at a kiosk in the airport. This can then be used later for hotels and shops, go through tax exemption procedures, and help verify their identities.

It’s set to kick off this summer in 300 shops, hotels, and restaurants in some of the country’s most popular prefectures and might spread across the country by spring of 2017, if the testing goes well. They aim to make it more widespread by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Source: Yomiuri Shimbun | Via: Mashable